Dark Wings, White Wings
by Lithryelle
Summary: My first AU. a war between two kingdoms. A Prince from Hell and a Princess from Heaven. Finished. chapters 11 & 12 fixed
1. Prologue: The Birth of Goodness and Evil

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Grrrrrrrrr, or any of the characters.  
  
Note: This story is complete AU. If you don't like the characters you can use other characters when you read (no characters yet in Prologue). The only reason I put this story here instead of the original section was because I didn't want to make up any names and I hate to describe characters since it doesn't come out smooth for me. Yeah, I'm lazy. ^_~ By the way, the Prologue tend to be very boring. Enjoy!  
  
Please Read and Review.  
  
*** Dark Wings, White Wings ~Prologue: The Birth of Goodness and Evil~  
  
For everything there must be a balance and since the beginning of time there had been a balance so important that even a little unevenness could spell disaster. The balance of Light and Darkness.  
  
At first, Light did not mean Goodness nor did Darkness mean Evil. They were just two powers that could not survive without the other.  
  
Heaven and Hell were two worlds that represent this balance. While Heaven was Light, Hell was Darkness and their balance was directly reflected on a world in between them. Earth.  
  
At the beginning this balance had been kept and Earth was peaceful but as time passed greed began ruling people's heart on Earth. This was because Hell was no longer satisfied with its power. It craved for more and that was when it turned its eyes on Heaven.  
  
Hell declared war upon Heaven and the balance shifted. Wars broke out on Earth, which killed many people. Heaven was able to keep Hell in check so far but the balance is still unstable. It was not possible for Heaven to destroy Hell because Heaven didn't want chaos on Earth yet is it possible to defeat Hell and keep the balance at the same time?  
  
What if an unexpected meeting between Light and Darkness created a bond between Heaven and Hell?  
  
***  
  
That was short wasn't it? The next chapter is going to be longer. It probably doesn't make any sense right now but if you go on to the actual story, you'll get it eventually. Please read and review! 


	2. Chapter 1: Troubles

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me but the story does and I'm proud of it.  
  
Note: Well, thank you very much for the people that voted and Takari won. As promised this story will be about Takeru and Hikary. I know I know I spell Hikary with an 'y'. Here is the first chapter and it is longer than the Prologue. But be warned there is a lot of explanation and background information in this so um the 'fun' does not start until the later chapters but please bare with me. I'm writing as fast as I can but you have to understand that even though this is summer vacation I'm not as free as some of you might think. First I have piano because my parents are bugging me about how I don't practice enough even though I do practice for three hours every day. And I also have. . .  
  
Never mind, my muses are telling to get on with the story and I'm sure you are too so here it is.  
  
***  
  
Chapter 1: Troubles  
  
"Takeru! Oy, Takeru!" Yamato ran down the hallway opening doors and closing them as he searched for his brother.  
  
*Why do this Palace have to have so many rooms?*  
  
He hurtled past a painting, a sculpture, a maid, and a guard. . .  
  
"Prince Yamato, I believe your brother is in the library." The guard that he had just passed called out.  
  
"Thanks!" He gave the guard a little wave without stopping and sprinted up a flight of carpeted stairs.  
  
*That boy just loves to read.*  
  
Skidding to a halt in front of the huge oak doors that reached the ceiling, he yanked them open without bothering to show grace that was expected of the Princes. There was no one to see him anyway and keeping the etiquette made by former Kings became very annoying. Most of the time he didn't bother except appearing in public.  
  
He knew only one person would be in the library which was huge in itself. There was a circular reading area in the center of the library and branching from it in all directions would be other rooms, which held different kinds of books. There were tall large shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling in each room and ladders used to help to reach the higher parts.  
  
And with all these books you would have thought there would be a lot of people but right now not one single person was in sight. Yamato didn't find this peculiar however because he knew the reason. The wars that were going on right now almost took up most of the people's time. The war that started by the people of Hell, or more, accurately the king of Hell had affected everyone. Therefore no one had enough spare time to read a book in the library even though it was quiet right now after another failed attempt for Heaven's power. They needed time to heal and recover.  
  
There would usually be one or two people later on in the day at the library but it really seemed a waste looking at all these great volumes and only a few hands touching them.  
  
Yamato shook his head sadly as he thought about these things but this was not the time. He had to find his brother. The room he entered from the huge double doors led to the History Wing.  
  
This was supposed to be Yamato's brother, Takeru's favourite section in the whole library. Many times had Yamato found Takeru curled up in an armchair in the Reading Area with a thick book entitled something like 'The Wonders of Egypt' or 'Across the Centuries on Earth'. (Titles are made up by me and so don't go looking for them in the library because they're most likely not there.) Yes, Takeru loved to hear stories about Earth since he was little.  
  
He had discovered the fascination of the library when he first learned to read which was three years old. Yamato remembered Takeru begging him to read him a book, which contained a great range of vocabulary that was way above what Takeru could understand. He had been six then and many years has passed since.  
  
A globe of Earth and a world map (Earth also) lay on a table in one corner of the room. But Yamato glided around these without bothering to give them a glance. He checked behind every shelf but his brother was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"You better be in the Reading Area, Takeru, because I'm not about to search the entire library for you." Yamato muttered to himself as he hurried toward the door that would lead to the circular room.  
  
With a loud bang the door opened and hit the wall. Yamato strode in and spotted a boy with blond hair that was not unlike his own. He was sitting on a window seat, leaning on a cushion and with knees drawn up to support a book that he was reading.  
  
Takeru didn't seem very disturbed by the loud appearance of his brother, actually he didn't even seemed to notice as he calmly turned another page in his book. Unlike his brother Takeru seemed to show grace whenever he moved. It came naturally to him as if he were born with it. And he also had a handsome face that made girls blush whenever he passed although Takeru took no notice of these things.  
  
Yamato wondered if Takeru's grace came from their mother. She was supposed to be a kind and gentle person and very beautiful, or she was, according to the rumors the two princes' have heard. They didn't remember their mother. It was said that she disappeared mysteriously one night and never returned. Many people believed that she was dead but these were all just rumors and nobody knew the exact truths. One thing was for sure though. Takeru got his love for Earth from his mother. Their mother was famous for her obsession with the other world.  
  
Yamato yanked the book out of his little brother's hands and held it up. Takeru only looked up at him with his blue eyes (I actually checked his eye colour) and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, let's see, what is it this time? 'Modern Architecture and Art of Earth'." Yamato looked down at his brother.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Takeru asked.  
  
"Other than the fact another girl wants to be your bride then no, nothing's wrong." Yamato said.  
  
"Oh no, don't tell me. . ."  
  
"Have I ever lied to you, Takeru?"  
  
Takeru stood up, taking the book back from Yamato, he walked toward the door that his brother had entered.  
  
"That's the fifteenth time!" Takeru said.  
  
"I know, but you are popular and you are the prince. . ." Yamato followed Takeru out the Reading Area and back into the History Wing.  
  
"It was supposed to be a joke!"  
  
That was true. A few days ago their father, King of Hell, had commented about how the girls in the kingdom were trying to impress Takeru and he had said that Takeru should just pick one he liked. It was meant as a joke but unfortunately a few people heard and thought it was for real. The rumor about how the younger prince was going to find a bride spread out and by the next day a few girls had come to the King for an interview.  
  
The King found this quite amusing and had agreed for an interview just so he could see what kind of things the 'maidens' had prepared. Takeru sat through the first interview, trying not to fall asleep and keep a smile on his face at the same time. He had no interest in getting married or getting a girl friend at the moment and he had begged his brother for help on the next day when he heard more interviews were awaiting him.  
  
Yamato had suggested that he hide on Earth and so he had sneaked out to the gate and climbed over the wall. This gate connected Hell to Earth. They were not allowed to go to Earth unless in special occasions but it proved to be an effective hiding place. Nobody could find Prince Takeru for interviews anymore and so the King interviewed the 'maidens' by himself. He didn't really mind the absence of Takeru since he was only doing this to keep his people happy and to take his mind off the war plans. He maybe the one who started the wars but he did care a lot about his two sons. Maybe it was because they reminded him of his wife for he loved her very much and it was only after she disappeared did the King change.  
  
Takeru and Yamato sped down the hallways after exiting the library and arrived outside Takeru's chamber, breathless. They went in and locked the door.  
  
"You know, this is getting annoying." Takeru muttered as he began changing his royal robes for something more fitting on Earth.  
  
"Look on the bright side, Takeru, you get to visit Earth. You love that place don't you?" Yamato said.  
  
"Yeah! But I can't stop thinking that father might just, you know, choose someone for me."  
  
"I don't get this but why don't you want. . ." But before Yamato could finish what he was saying, a knock was heard at the door. The two princes froze.  
  
"Go!" Yamato mouthed as Takeru silently slipped the balcony door open.  
  
"Thanks!" Takeru whispered as a pair of black wings spread out from his back. The dark angel took off toward the gate that would lead him to Earth.  
  
***  
  
"Brother!" Hikary waved to her brother, Prince Taichi of Heaven, and made her way over to him as fast as her long silk dress would allow.  
  
"Hello, Princess Hikary." A boy with brown hair and brown eyes bowed to her as she approached.  
  
"Hi Daisuke," Hikary answered politely.  
  
Daisuke was about the same age as Hikary and had asked the Princess out many times and every time he was met with rejection. It wasn't that Hikary didn't like him since they had been friends all their lives. It was just that Hikary didn't know what to think about dating. She wanted to of course because she had seen her brother having fun with other girls and Hikary really wanted to know what it would be like but somehow she always refused Daisuke even though everyone thought they would make a great couple.  
  
"Well, I'm ready," The Princess announced.  
  
"Hikary, you can't go in that." Taichi shook his head and pointed at her elegant dress.  
  
"Definitely not," Daisuke agreed.  
  
And before Hikary could ask why they grabbed her hands and pulled her toward Daisuke's room in the East Wing of the castle. Daisuke grabbed a few pieces of clothing and held it out to Hikary.  
  
"Here wear these." He said.  
  
"But. . .they are boy's clothes." She said a little confused as to what her brother and her friend were trying to do.  
  
"Of course they are. You can't wear your dress to Earth unless you want people to think you're crazy or something and it's better if you're disguised as a boy so that no one will be able to notice you." Taichi explained.  
  
Hikary took the clothes hesitantly.  
  
"Are you sure I'll like the place?" She asked.  
  
"It's not bad but you won't know until you see it right? It's ok I know it's you first time breaking a rule but you don't have to be nervous." Her brother reassured her.  
  
It was same here as in Hell. No one was allowed to go to Earth because they were angels, white angels, unlike the angels of Hell. But for any kind of angel, their wings held power. If an angel looses his wings then he would be loosing his life as well. Even if a feather fell in the wrong hands of a human, it would be very dangerous. In Heaven, it would mean receiving a death sentence.  
  
Taichi had been to Earth many times and even made some human friends of course none of them knew that he was an angel. Hikary was a bit curious about this other world and asked her brother if she could go with him next time. Taichi agreed but warned her many times to keep her wings in all the time.  
  
After changing into the boy's clothing, Daisuke and Taichi inspected her appearance.  
  
"Hmm. Now we just need something for her face. . ." Daisuke said as he took out a pair of glasses and a baseball cap. He shoved them into Hikary's hands, "Try those."  
  
Hikary put them on obediently.  
  
"Great! I think that'll be ok." Taichi said. He reached out for the cap and turned it so that it was on backwards. "That's even better though."  
  
Hikary checked herself in a mirror her brother handed her. They were right. Nobody will be able to recognize her now and she did look a lot like a boy. It was lucky she had short hair instead of long ones like most girls had.  
  
"Let's go!" Daisuke said and together, they made their way to the gate, which connected Heaven with Earth.  
  
***  
  
Beyond the gate was a road and along the road were mirrors with different images in them.  
  
"What are those?" Hikary asked.  
  
"They are gates to Earth, each mirror takes you to a different part." Taichi explained.  
  
"Where are we going then?" Now that they had successfully climbed over the walls Hikary was feeling more excited than nervous. (They can't use the actual gate because it was guarded)  
  
"The one we're going through isn't far," Daisuke said. "Look! There it is!" He pointed excitedly.  
  
They stopped at a mirror, which showed a street full of people and stores along the sidewalk. They jumped into the mirror and arrived at an empty alleyway.  
  
"Wow, look at all those people," Hikary marveled. She had never seen so many different kinds of strange clothing before and she immediately wanted to go out to explore.  
  
Taichi pulled her back.  
  
"Hikary, wait. You have to know a few things before you go. This part of Earth, let's just say, isn't the nicest part and it's better if we stick together so try to stay with us when we're out there ok? And if you get stuck just call us."  
  
Hikary nodded.  
  
They made their way out onto the noisy street. At first it was fine for the Princess as she followed her friends but as they passed through a crowd of people, the problem came. The people pushed here and there and the three of them couldn't stay together. Finally Taichi told them to meet on the other side of the crowd then all three of them were separated to make their own way. Hikary wasn't used to been pushed and she found it hard to go through. Nevertheless she tried until the crowd started moving. She had no choice but to follow them and all the while panic rose within her.  
  
Finally she found herself somehow out of the jam, panting and hot. She looked around and couldn't find Taichi nor Daisuke.  
  
"Brother? Daisuke!" She called out. There was no answer. Her breath quickened as she looked around wildly. Panic was making it hard to think. Suddenly something tapped on her shoulder. She spun around and found a group of dirty boys, ranging from around ten-years-old to eighteen- years-old, all smirking at her.  
  
"H. . .Hi." She said nervously and gave them a small smile.  
  
"Who are you?" One of the boys asked.  
  
"I. . ." Then she remembered that she forgot to make a name for herself but even before she could start thinking about that another boy cut her off.  
  
"Do you know where you are?"  
  
"No, I. . ." Hikary shook her head.  
  
"Well, you are on our territory and we don't like people on our territory without an invitation." The gang of boys moved toward her.  
  
"I. . .I'm sorry." Hikary backed away. A nameless terror was beginning to spread through her, which added on to her previous panic.  
  
"Boys, why don't we show him what we do to trespassers?" What appeared to be the leader of the gang asked his colleagues.  
  
Hikary turned and ran. She could hear their footsteps as they followed her and sped up a little bit more. She wished her brother and Daisuke were here to help her but how could she find them if she didn't even know where she was? She turned a corner and looked back, they were still following her. Her legs were beginning to get tired now and her lungs were protesting for more air.  
  
*I hate it here!* She thought. *Taichi was lying, I'll never like it here. I hate it.*  
  
Suddenly she felt considerable pain as her head hit something and she fell to the ground. Hikary clutched a hand to her forehead and looked up.  
  
A boy, with clothes similar to the boys chasing her, who had blond hair and blue eyes was standing right in front of her.  
  
***  
  
To make up for the boring details I wrote in something exciting at the end.  
  
Daisuke: Yeah you'll right, it was BORING!  
  
Kiseki: You shut up!  
  
Takeru: Just wondering but why all the details?  
  
Kiseki: They're important for later.  
  
Daisuke: Yeah right!  
  
Kiseki: Daisuke, what's wrong with you today?  
  
Ken: He's not happy with the vote.  
  
Kiseki: Sorry but most people prefer Takari more than Daikari.  
  
Daisuke: *Burst in to tears*  
  
Kiseki: Oh dear  
  
Hikary: Read and review please!  
  
Ken: Chapter two is coming out soon! 


	3. Chapter 2: New Friends

Disclaimer: "Digimon's MINE and no one's going to take it away from me." How I wish I could say that but everyone's knows it's not true right?  
  
Note: A few explanations. Things written between ** is the character's thoughts. I forgot to explain that in the last chapter.  
  
Ken: I thought you were going to make me the prince and Miyako my princess.  
  
Kiseki: I was until I got the idea of having a vote. And I must say they convinced me quite nicely to make it a Takari.  
  
Miyako: That's not fair!  
  
Kseki: Too bad.  
  
***  
  
Chapter 2: New Friends  
  
"Have you seen her?" Taichi asked as Daisuke came running toward him.  
  
"No,"  
  
They had waited for Hikary to come through the crowd but they didn't realize that the crowd would be moving in a few seconds.  
  
"She must have been carried away with all those people." Daisuke said.  
  
"But which way did they go?" Taichi asked, looking around for any signs that might help him.  
  
"I think it's that way." Daisuke pointed.  
  
They started forward without another word, heading in the direction, which they hoped was the right one.  
  
"I hope she isn't in any trouble." Daisuke said, almost to himself.  
  
*Please be alright, Hikary. Please be alright.*  
  
***  
  
Yamato answered the door.  
  
"Your Highness, the King asks for Prince Takeru's presence for the interview." A guard bowed as the door was opened.  
  
"Thank you, but Takeru is not here at the moment," Yamato answered sounding as if nothing had happened just a few seconds ago.  
  
"The King requires his presence this time, Your Highness." The guard insisted.  
  
Inwardly Yamato frowned but he didn't show his expression. He appeared to be considering what to do.  
  
*That's. . .strange.*  
  
"I'll speak to the king." Yamato announced.  
  
The guard bowed again and backed away for Prince Yamato.  
  
***  
  
doki.  
  
Hikary stared into the face of the boy. Their eyes met.  
  
"There he is!" Heavy footsteps followed the voice.  
  
Hikary looked behind her and realized that she had forgotten her situation. She quickly got up and prepared to run but a hand grabbed her arm. A moment of terror gripped her until she noticed that the boy she had bumped into had pushed her behind himself. He faced the gang coolly and to Hikary's surprise, she saw the boys stop a few feet away with wariness in their eyes.  
  
"What are you doing?" The boy asked.  
  
"We.we were just trying to have some fun." The leader of the gang stammered.  
  
Hikary watched with surprise as the boys began fidgeting. All of them were avoiding eye contact with the blond boy.  
  
"He's with me." The boy said shortly. "And next time if I see you trying to 'have fun' with him again, you won't get off that easy."  
  
Some mutterings were heard as one by one the boys backed away.  
  
Hikary breathed a sigh of relief as the boy turned to look at her. Once again she was drawn to his eyes. The boy smiled.  
  
"Hi, my name's TK. Are you alright?" He held out a hand to Hikary.  
  
Hikary took the hand and shook it.  
  
"Thank you for helping me, my name is Hika.ru." She had almost forgotten that she was pretending to be a boy again. (Shows how much imagination I have in making up names.)  
  
"Um. . .I was just wondering but why didn't they attack us. I mean they did have outnumbered." Hikary asked timidly.  
  
"They are afraid of me." Takeru answered then laughed as he saw the expression on Hikary's face that clearly said she didn't understand how they could be afraid of him.  
  
"Hey! I can fight you know." He said. *And a good thing too.* He thought to himself as he remembered his first encounter with the previously mentioned boys.  
  
"You beat them by yourself?"  
  
TK nodded then began chuckling as he saw the wide-eyed expression on Hikary's face. She glared at him.  
  
"You're new here aren't you, Hikaru?" TK asked.  
  
"I guess you can say that." Hikary answered and frowned. She sank down on to the pavement and sat there, leaning against a wall. Now that she wasn't been chased, she had to think about how to find her brother and get home.  
  
"What's wrong?" TK didn't miss the frown on her face.  
  
"Well, I think I'm lost and I don't like this place. My brother told me it was supposed to be nice but I hate it here." She was expecting a reply from TK but it didn't come. She looked up at him. TK had a sad and hurt look in his eyes.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. This is your home after all. I'm so sorry. . ." Hikary apologized.  
  
TK shook his head. To Hikary it was a sign that said she didn't have to apologize. But to TK it meant something more. *If you only knew where I'm from.*  
  
"It's not bad, you know. It does have some nice places." TK said. "Come on, I'll help you find your way."  
  
He extended a hand. Hikary looked at it for a while before she allowed herself to be pulled up.  
  
"Thanks," She said quietly.  
  
"No problem. Where do you live?" TK asked.  
  
"Um. . .well. . ." That was one question she should avoid. "I. . .have to find my brother and my friend first. I was with them until I got lost in a crowd and I think they'll be looking for me."  
  
"Then I've got a great idea. Come with me." TK said and began pulling her along as he ran. Hikary blushed. The only boys she had ever held hands before were her brother and Daisuke. She was very glad that TK didn't turn around to look at her.  
  
"Where are we going?" She called out.  
  
"Just follow me." TK answered.  
  
Soon they arrived in front of a tall clock tower.  
  
"Here we are." TK announced. Without stopping he charged inside and up a flight of stairs. He didn't come to a halt until the stairs ended with a closed door, this he pushed open and led Hikary inside.  
  
They were standing in what appeared to be the attic of the tower. The roof met in a point high above them and sunlight danced in beams as they came through cracks in the boarded windows. They could hear the sound of pigeons flying outside and their cooing cries.  
  
TK opened a window and beckoned for Hikary to come closer. The view that met her eyes was breathtaking. They were above all the buildings in the city and the buildings stretched below them. To the right was the indigo ocean, with its waves rolling in the morning sunlight. Seagulls could be seen flying over the beach. To the left was a forest full of trees of different varieties and beyond that were huge mountains, their peaks hidden in clouds that looked like cotton.  
  
"It's beautiful," It was the only Hikary could think of to say as she hungrily took in the scenery.  
  
"I know, that's why I like this place. There are bad things but if you could come up here to look at this, you can almost forget." Takeru said.  
  
Hikary was surprised at all the emotion in his voice.  
  
"You really love this place, don't you?" She asked.  
  
Takeru nodded without taking his eyes off the view. There was a moment of silence as they both just enjoyed the wind as it gently blew across their faces.  
  
"Tell me about it." Hikary finally broke the silence.  
  
She didn't have to explain what it was because TK already knew. He wanted to tell Hikaru about this world, wanted to tell him all the wonderful things he'd read in books, because he had a feeling that this strange boy beside him would understand. He could share it all with Hikaru and he would appreciate it as much as he did.  
  
But not today. He had promised to find the boy's friends and he had every intention of keeping his promise.  
  
"I will be very happy to show you, Hikaru. But first we have to find your brother remember? They must be really worried about you by now." TK said.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot." Hikary gasped, she had indeed forgotten about what she was here to do.  
  
"Look down. You can see most of the streets from here. Hopefully you'll be able to spot your brother." Takeru instructed.  
  
It didn't take them long to find the two figures. They were on a street not far from where they were and apparently both were very agitated. They quickly made their way down the stairs and headed toward the street where Taichi and Daisuke were still searching.  
  
"Hikaru wait, before you go I need to talk to you." Takeru said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Can you meet me at the clock again tomorrow? I want to show you something. You said you wanted to know more about here right?" TK said.  
  
Hikary thought for a second.  
  
"Alright, I'll come tomorrow. I think I'm already beginning to like it here. Thanks a lot." Hikary smiled.  
  
"Great! You know your way to the clock?" TK asked.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"See you tomorrow then." TK waved as his new friend turned a corner and was gone.  
  
***  
  
Takeru went home with a light heart. His brother was waiting for him in Takeru's room. The prince took one look at his older brother's face and knew immediately that something was wrong.  
  
"Takeru, don't panic. Ok?" Yamato said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "You're engaged."  
  
It took a few seconds before Takeru understood what Yamato had just said.  
  
"What?" He sprang up from the chair that he was sitting in. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
"No I'm not and I hate to tell you this but. . . that's not the worst part." Yamato told his little brother.  
  
"What could be worse than this?" Takeru groaned.  
  
"You're engaged to the Kaizer's daughter."  
  
This time Takeru didn't even bother to say anything but he went pale and sank weakly back into his chair.  
  
The Kaizer, one of the king's advisors, was a mystery to everyone. His real name was unknown to everyone and he only went by 'Kaizer'. Nobody really liked him and people tended to avoid him whenever they could. The king trusted him more than any other but the two princes hated him.  
  
"Takeru, father wants you to meet her and so she have moved into one of the guest rooms."  
  
There was complete silence from Takeru. Yamato was not sure if Takeru was listening anymore but he continued anyway.  
  
"Her name's Yolie. I believe she's named after her mother's middle name, the Lady Miyako Yolie Inoue."  
  
"I don't care what she's called. I just want this engagement cancelled! I'm still too young for this anyway." Takeru said angrily.  
  
"Apparently the actual wedding will not take place until you're seventeen, I believe that means you still have two years to try to stop it." Yamato said.  
  
"What can I do? You know father won't change his mind after deciding on something." Takeru complained.  
  
"Why don't you meet her? You might get to like her." Yamato suggested.  
  
Takeru snorted, "Considering who her father is I don't think so."  
  
He got up suddenly. "I've got to go to the library." And without another word he was out of the room.  
  
The rest of the afternoon passed quite peacefully for Takeru. He avoided the Guest Chambers in case Yolie was there but he was not so lucky at dinner. The king had placed Yolie beside Takeru at the dinner table thinking it a good opportunity for them to get to know each other.  
  
On first glance Takeru noticed a few things. She was a very pretty thing. Her raven black hair flowed loosely around her shoulders where they curled at the end. She had long, dark, eyelashes and black eyes. Her satin black dress flowed to the floor and revealed her shoulders and bare arms, which were decorated with bracelets. Her whole appearance reminded Takeru of those dolls that he had seen in stores on Earth. She was, he had to admit, quite pretty.  
  
But he also noticed that she was different from other girls. While other girls may blush and faint just hearing a few well-chosen words, this one would give a reply that would match what was given to her. She was cunning and graceful. More than once, Takeru had noticed the glances that the servant boys gave her but he himself didn't like her. There was just a coldness around her that he didn't like. No matter how planned her movements were or how smart she was, there would always be the coldness in her eyes like two blocks of ice. There was no emotion in what she did. Takeru was certain that she knew the attention she was getting yet he sensed that she didn't care.  
  
It wouldn't be good to have her as an enemy.  
  
***  
  
Hikary was happy. She had made a friend that truly felt like a friend. Sure, she had lots of friends in the kingdom but she suspected that they only became her friends because she was the princess and she was right.  
  
She was excited thinking that she could see him again although Taichi and Daisuke looked at her with curiosity as she giggled to herself and hummed. She had already asked Daisuke if she could keep the clothes he had lent her. Daisuke had agreed but he couldn't stop wondering why the Princess Hikary would want boy's clothing.  
  
Hikary didn't plan to tell them about her meeting because Taichi would surely want to come along after the previous incident.  
  
She couldn't wait for tomorrow.  
  
***  
  
Takeru hurried for the meeting place. He had gone to the library for a few books and had lost track of time. He was late. Now he carried the books in his hands as he flew as fast as he could toward the mirror.  
  
When he arrived at the tower, Hikary was already there waiting.  
  
"Sorry I was late but I lost track of time picking up these." He held up a book to show Hikary.  
  
"Why did you bring those?" Hikary asked curiously.  
  
"I'll show you in a minute but we need to go somewhere else first." Takeru said.  
  
He led her to the edge of the city and into the woods that they had seen from the clock tower. Deep into the forest they went until a lake spread out before them.  
  
"It's a nice place isn't it?" Takeru asked.  
  
"Yeah!" Hikary agreed. She turned to look at the mountains on the other side of the lake.  
  
"You get to see animals here too sometimes. It's quiet here and not many people comes so the wild creatures like it." Takeru explained as he settled himself on a rock.  
  
Suddenly a gust of wind blew across the lake. It wrenched the books open and created ripples in the water. The trees rustled noisily and birds left their perches.  
  
But Takeru noticed none of these things. He was staring at Hikary who had clutched at her cap too late and it had blown off, leaving her brown hair blowing in the wind.  
  
***  
  
Kiseki: Ok people there's lots of Takeru and Hikary in here wasn't there? But not the exciting part yet. Almost there though.  
  
Ken: *blink, blink* am I the bad guy again?  
  
Kiseki: Uh. . .yeah.  
  
Takeru: I think I just discovered Hikary's secret huh?  
  
Kiseki: Someone bet me a bucket of water! Ken's fainted.  
  
(chaos in the room)  
  
Daisuke: I see some trouble brewing in the next chp.  
  
Kiseki: Give that back, you!  
  
Miyako: Um, review? 


	4. Chapter 3: Friend or Family?

Kiseki: Hello is anyone there?  
  
. . .  
  
Kiseki: I think my muses are angry with me today for some strange reason so I'm kinda alone right now. Well, first I need to answer some questions. Takeru, personally, doesn't have anything against Heaven and he seems nice because he likes Earth and he doesn't know Hikary's from Heaven yet (He's going to find out soon). He only thinks that she/he (Hikaru) is an unique human and is kinda interesting to be around. In this chapter he'll get a few really shocking surprises. ^_~  
  
As for the timeline of this story, yes, I wondered about that myself when I started writing but I have to say that Earth is probably around our time but Hell and Heaven is kind of 'old fashioned'. Hikary's disguises have two reasons. One, she didn't have anything other than really elegant dresses and she would probably be laughed at if she wore those on Earth and girls don't wear boy clothing so she had to pretend she was a boy. Secondly, she needed disguises (cap and glasses) because it wouldn't be good if someone recognized her while they were heading for the gate. People would wonder why she was dressed like a boy.  
  
I hope I answered everything, if you have any more questions please ask. ^_^ Now, onto the story!  
  
Ken: Dislaimer?  
  
Kiseki: Oops. I don't own Digimon but the story is mine.  
  
***  
  
Chapter 3: Friend or Family?  
  
"Hi. . .Hikaru?" Takeru murmured skeptically.  
  
"I. . .I can explain." Hikary took off the glasses and stuffed them inside her pocket so that she was no longer in disguise. She was racking her brain for a suitable explanation. The reason she didn't tell Takeru that she was a girl was because Takeru might not want to be her friend anymore. Hikary really didn't want to him to dislike her since this might be her chance to make a real new friend.  
  
Takeru watched the girl in surprise. *Well, this explains why Hikaru doesn't like fighting,* And then it crossed his mind that it was actually quite funny watching this girl stammering out an explanation. She really didn't act much like a boy either now that he thought about it. Now that her disguises were off, Takeru could tell that she actually was a very pretty girl. Her hair was pinned up to keep the front part from falling in her eyes. She was trying to avoid his gaze right now but her eyes were soft and kind.  
  
Takeru did the thing that Hikary was least expecting. He laughed.  
  
Hikary was so taken aback by this that she came to a sudden stop in her blabbering. She was expecting Takeru to be angry or to be shocked but laughter?  
  
"What's so funny?" She asked.  
  
Takeru kept laughing and didn't answer her.  
  
Looking at Takeru made all her effort seem stupid and Hikary could not help but join in.  
  
After they calmed down, Hikary was finally able to ask the question that had been tugging on her mind.  
  
"So you still want to be friends with me?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Those two simple words warmed Hikary and she smiled, a sincere smile that Takeru would always remember.  
  
"And my real name is Hikary."  
  
As promised Takeru showed Hikary everything he knew about this world, every wonders. It never once crossed Takeru's mind that Hikary was marvelling at stuff that a normal human should understand like cars. And Hikary never even thought about what kind of things human should know, she found that she was interested in everything Takeru showed her and she was beginning to love Earth just as much as Takeru did.  
  
They sometimes went down to the ocean or explored in the city but their favourite place was the lake. What Takeru could not show Hikary directly, he brought books and pictures to show her. They met everyday without telling anyone about it. Taichi was wondering where his sister was going everyday and why Hikary suddenly seemed brighter and more energetic than before. But he didn't worry too much about that. Yamato knew where his little brother was everyday but he thought Takeru was just trying to avoid Yolie.  
  
And Yolie? She was getting suspicious. Her father, the Kaizer, had arranged the engagement for a reason and she wasn't about to ruin her father's plan. But for the plan to work, she had to get Takeru to at least notice her and right now he wasn't doing much of that. She would have to do something about that.  
  
She decided to follow Takeru.  
  
And without noticing anything, Takeru once again went down to Earth.  
  
At first she was surprised that the prince was going to Earth. But she followed her plan. Yolie watched from a safe distance behind. She saw Takeru head into the woods and arrive at a lake. There she saw a girl waiting for him. At first she frowned. This could be a little difficult, an opsticle in her path. But then the girl turned and Yolie was able to get a good look at her. She gasped. She recognised the girl.  
  
*It couldn't be. . .*  
  
She crept closer, as close as she dared. That face, those eyes and the hair. How many times had her father shone her the picure of this girl?  
  
*It is her. Well this could work out better than I thought.* She allowed herself a self-satisfied smirk and left. She had work to do.  
  
***  
  
Takeru was summoned by the king after dinner. Wondering what was wrong, he hurried along. Nothing could have prepared him for what was going to happen. As soon as he entered his father's room, the king jumped at him and clapped him on the back with apparent excitement and joy. He led a very confused Takeru into a chair.  
  
"You did a great job, Takeru, a great job indeed. . ." The King praised.  
  
Takeru blinked, having no idea whatsoever of what his father was talking about.  
  
"This could be all we need to have Heaven fall," His father continued.  
  
Takeru frowned. He had no idea what he did that could be so useful to the war.  
  
"Father?" He decided to ask. "What are you talking about?"  
  
His father grinned, a bright gleam in his eyes.  
  
"I've heard that the Princess of Heaven is falling for you, Takeru. I don't know how you did it but you did a great job to get her to trust you. If we can capture her, Heaven will surely surrender to us."  
  
Takeru was totally lost now. The Princess of Heaven? When had he ever met the Princess of Heaven? Then it struck him. *Hikary?*  
  
"Could you tell me the princess' name, father?" He asked urgently.  
  
The king gave him a funny look as if saying how could you not know her name? But he gave it anyway.  
  
"I think it's Hikary, the Princess Hikary."  
  
Takeru felt himself go cold. Colour drained out of his face. *Hikary is the princess of Heaven?* But it was beginning to make sense. She didn't know anything about Earth and it explained why she was dressed like a boy the first time they met and even now, she was still wearing the same boy clothing. Something inside him broke at the thought. He was shaking.  
  
"What's the matter, Takeru?" His father asked.  
  
"Nothing." He lied.  
  
"Well? Do you think she trust you enough for it to work?"  
  
"W. . .What?" Takeru asked, not immediately catching on to the conversation anymore.  
  
"I said if you could get her to come to the mirror that would lead to the gate, our gate. A few of our guards will be there waiting to capture her. But do you think she trust you enough for you to do that?"  
  
Takeru didn't answer immediately. Partly because he didn't trust himself to speak for he felt very shaky and partly because he still didn't quite believe. He swallowed a few times and ordered himself to calm down.  
  
"Can I have a little more time?" Good, his voice was steady.  
  
"Will a week be enough?"  
  
*NO!* His mind screamed.  
  
"Yes." He answered quietly.  
  
"Good, then it's settled." The king smiled again, "You did a good job, Takeru." He ruffled his son's hair and led him to the door. Takeru barely noticed anything as he walked back to his room. He was in shock. His friend, the only friend that actually shared his thoughts and understood him, was his enemy? Twice, he made the wrong turn to his room and had to retrace his steps.  
  
Then he realized something. How did his father find out that he was seeing a girl on Earth? There must have been someone spying on him. And now they're asking him to betray a friend? Sure, of course she trusted him, Hikary trusted him completely and showed it too. She would trust him even if he said that ships could fly. It wasn't because she was stupid but because she could never bring herself to believe her friend would lie to her.  
  
*How could I take advantage of that?* There was still time, he had one week to think about what he was going to do.  
  
"So you're back." A voice interrupted his thoughts.  
  
Takeru looked up. Yolie was standing outside his room, the dim light from the candles in the hallway made her look mysterious and dangerous. She smirked. Takeru stared at her for a few moments.  
  
"It was you wasn't it?" He said. There was no anger in his voice. There was no emotion.  
  
"Of course,"  
  
"Why?" Takeru asked.  
  
She paused. Her smile disappearing but her eyes never once left Takeru's face. Takeru found himself unable to hold her gaze and dropped his eyes. It was as if she was reading deep into his soul and he hated that feeling, hated how he could be so week in front of this girl.  
  
"Would you rather not know and live in a lie?"  
  
Takeru didn't know how to answer that. Did he? Was it better not knowing?  
  
"Do you think she'll still want to be your friend when she learns the truth? She'll find out sooner or later you know."  
  
Yolie paused again, probably to let her words sink in.  
  
Was she right? Will Hikary hate him when she does learn the truth? Takeru wondered.  
  
"You have one week to think about that. But will you, Prince Takeru, betray your family and your people for someone that could destroy all that you have loved?"  
  
His head snapped up to look at her.  
  
Yolie curtsied.  
  
"Good night, your Highness." She flowed into the darkness of the hallway.  
  
Takeru stood there for a long time.  
  
One week, he had one week.  
  
***  
  
Yay! Finally, it's getting to the part where I want to write! I made a mistake in their age in the last chapter. I was thinking about how old they were in the Anime so I kind of just wrote it on. (The part where Yamato says Takeru still have six years to stop the engagement) It's supposed to be two years so they're basically fifteen right now. Sorry about that people but I forgot to edit it. But it has been fixed.  
  
Thank you for reading please review!  
  
Ja ne! 


	5. Chapter 4: Deception

Disclaimer: No, no, no! I hate this, I hate this, I hate this! Can I just skip the disclaimer for once? Ok, fine. I do not own Digimon or its characters.  
  
All: Wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuup!  
  
Kiseki: w-what?  
  
Miyako: You haven't written anything in almost a week!  
  
Kiseki: . . .  
  
Daisuke: I thought you said you don't like to leave a story unfinished.  
  
Kiseki: . . .  
  
Takeru: Are you listening?  
  
Kiseki: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  
  
All: WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Kiseki: That's it! OUT! OUT!  
  
All: *scuttling to get out of Kiseki's room*  
  
Kiseki: Finally, sleep. Now I can get more sleep *yawns*  
  
*Alarm clock goes off*  
  
***  
  
Chapter 4: Deception  
  
A week is not long especially when something unpleasant is waiting for you at the end and for Takeru, it was unbelievably fast. He had half the heart to tell Hikary everything but he was afraid that she would turn on him. And why was he so afraid in losing this friendship with her? He didn't know the answer to that.  
  
To capture Hikary was the right thing to do wasn't it? It would end the war and that was what he really wanted wasn't it? But then, why was he feeling guilty? To let her go meant that he was betraying his people, breaking the law. He would probably be banished or worse, executed. What would everyone think then? He would be bringing disgrace to his whole family. Was keeping this friendship more important than that?  
  
No. Takeru decided. But every time he saw Hikary smiling at him he would began doubting his decision and would think everything over again but always arriving at the same conclusion. There was only one more day left.  
  
***  
  
"There's one more day. Does he look as if he would do it?"  
  
"He is still confused, father."  
  
"Hmm, that could bring some problems. Does he realize his own feelings yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"That's good, if he does then my plans will become more complicated. Convince him to do it, Yolie."  
  
"I know father."  
  
***  
  
"What?" Yamato exclaimed. He and Takeru were sitting in Takeru's room again. The younger prince had finally turned to Yamato for help. He couldn't ask anyone else since he had no close friend.  
  
"What should I do?" Takeru asked.  
  
"That's easy, get the princess."  
  
"I can't!" Takeru said exasperated. He walked over to the window and stared outisde, turning his back toward his brother.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I-I don't know." He admitted.  
  
"Takeru, she's our enemy!"  
  
"I know that, but. . ."  
  
"But what?" Yamato asked.  
  
"I can't." This time he didn't shout, it was more of a pleading tone. "I just. . .can't."  
  
Yamato went over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
  
"It's the right thing to do. This is a chance to get peace and power, Takeru. Isn't that what we've been wishing for? And the time has come for that. Don't miss this chance, please Takeru."  
  
"It's the right thing?" Takeru whispered.  
  
"Yes, it's the right thing. Have I ever lied to you?"  
  
A pause.  
  
"No."  
  
***  
  
"You did a good job, you know." Yolie smirked as Yamato left Takeru's room.  
  
He glared at her. "Why didn't you do that yourself? Why did you have to blackmail me?" Yamato was enraged.  
  
"Well, you can't expect him to listen to me since he hates me. And besides you're the one who shouldn't be doing things that you don't want people to find out." Yolie smirked.  
  
"And you made me tell him a lie because of what?" Yamato asked.  
  
"That's for me to know."  
  
"What can you achieve by capturing the princess of Heaven? If Heaven falls, then the balance will be broken completely not to mention complete distruction on Earth!"  
  
"It's none of your business really." Yolie replied.  
  
"None of my business? If you won't tell me what you're planning then I'm going to get to the bottom of this by myself!"  
  
"If you can."  
  
***  
  
Hikary couldn't sleep. For the past week, TK had not been himself or it seemed to her. He did not seemed to be able to concentrate on the questions she asked him. He had a deep frown on his face and didn't even respond until she gently shook him.  
  
She had asked what was wrong but he would only assure her that nothing was wrong and he would slide back into that frown. Hikary wanted to help but how could she if TK wouldn't tell her anything?  
  
Somehow she didn't feel as enthusiastic when TK wasn't there to explain stuff to her. It wasn't the same. She hoped that tomorrow will be a better day and with that thought in mind she drifted off to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Takeru woke the next day with a heavy heart. Even though Yamato had convinced him it didn't mean he had to like it. And besides there was still a bud of uncertainty which he pushed aside. He couldn't back down now and besides, he didn't have a choice right now.  
  
'It's the right thing. Have I ever lied to you?'  
  
Yamato had never lied to him, everything he taught him was true. How he wished that just for once, this once, his brother would be wrong.  
  
He went down to Earth again, this time with three guards.  
  
He met Hikary with a false smile. Hikary smiled back at him, the smile that she smiled when he told her that they can be friends even if she was a girl.  
  
*She has no idea,*  
  
"Hi, TK. What are we going to do today?" Hikary asked eagerly.  
  
"We-we're going somewhere today." Takeru faltered. The excitement shone in Hikary's face at those words. He avoided her eyes because he knew those same eyes would be filled with hurt a few minutes later.  
  
He turned away and began walking.  
  
"TK, where are we going?" Hikary asked from behind him.  
  
"It's a surprise," Takeru said through gritted teeth. He hated lying.  
  
*It's alright, this is right. I'm doing the right thing.*  
  
"TK, I'm really glad that you became my friend and I really enjoyed everything you've shown me. I just wanted to say that if something's bothering you, I would be happy to help with your problem if I can."  
  
Takeru stopped suddenly at those words. *Ignore it, ignore it.* He told himself.  
  
"Thanks Hikary but it's ok, I don't have any problem right now." His voice came out bright and energetic which was a complete contrast to his facial expression. He resumed walking.  
  
*She's my enemy, she's my enemy. She's only being nice because she doesn't know who I am. If she knew she probably would hate me and betray me if I don't betray her. So there's nothing to worry about because I'm doing the right thing.*  
  
He felt a bit better as he continued to reassure himself quietly. He didn't notice the worried looks Hikary gave him and he couldn't have known that Hikary was currently thinking it was her fault that Takeru was acting different and a little distant than usual.  
  
The gate from that part of Earth to Hell is located near a field of cherry trees. It was there that Takeru brought Hikary.  
  
"Oh, it's beautiful." Hikary said breathlessly. Cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the wind gently caressed the petals. They floated through the air and landed on the grass, making the ground a rosy colour.  
  
*They should be coming soon* Takeru thought when suddenly two arms were flung around his neck. Surprised, he looked up.  
  
"Oh thank you, thank you, TK. This place is so wonderful and cherry blossom is my favourite flower!" Hikary exclaimed into TK's shoulder. "You're such a good friend."  
  
Takeru stood frozen in place. A good friend? Him? Did she really think that?  
  
"Do you really mean that?" Takeru asked.  
  
"Of course I do." Hikary dropped her arms and smiled once more.  
  
"No matter what?" He blurted out the question before he could really think about what he was saying.  
  
Hikary gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Do you think I'm a good friend no matter what?" Takeru repeated his question. Somehow he dreaded that she would answer no and yet he wished she would.  
  
"Yes," Hikary replied.  
  
Takeru stared at Hikary. At that moment he realized that he had been lying to himself about his feelings because he didn't have the courage to find out the truth. He didn't have the courage to trust and therefore made an false assumption. But it wasn't too late, he could tell Hikary everything now.  
  
"Hikary, I. . ." He began.  
  
Suddenly three people appeared and grabbed the girl in front of him. Takeru saw the surprised look on Hikary's face and he couldn't do anything but swallow what he was about to say. He was too late.  
  
"TK!" Hikary cried out as she struggled in the two guards grips. The other one went over to Takeru and knelt in front of the prince of Hell. Hikary's eyes widened in shock.  
  
"With your permission, Prince Takeru, we will be heading back now." The guard said. Takeru caught one brief glance of the hurt and surprised look in Hikary's eyes. He lowered his head to avoid looking into those eyes that tore at him. His hands formed into fists and they shook as he spoke to the guard. Every word made him want to hit himself for been stupid.  
  
He couldn't bring himself to leave with the guards and the prisoner because he was ashamed and didn't want to see Hikary's hurt looks. He stayed there, still staring at the ground, still shaking, even after they left.  
  
He had to help her, even if she hated him now. He would help her even if he defied every law in the kingdom, because he wanted to see her smile again, wanted to see the happiness shine in her eyes. And this world, where he shared all the secrets with her, he will protect because he loved it. It was foolish to hope for peace without the balance of the two worlds and Takeru would not make that mistake again because he understood finally what he wanted and what he wanted was real peace and to protect what he loved.  
  
***  
  
Well that sucked big time. I just came back from a vacation and I'm really tired but I wanted to put this up because I don't like leaving a chapter unwritten for too long because then I'm not write for a long time. I hated this chapter because I kind of lost what I wanted to write during the vacation. I hope the next chapter will be better than this one. By the way the Yolie is not Miyako because Miyako is this Yolie's mother in this story. It's explained in one of the chapters before this but I forgot which.  
  
Please review! ^_^ 


	6. Chapter 5: Mysteries and Plans

Kiseki: Can someone else say the disclaimer for me?  
  
Takeru: Kiseki does not own Digimon or us.  
  
Kiseki: Thanks so much for the reviews. It made me feel better about my last chapter.  
  
***  
  
Chapter 5: Mysteries and Plans  
  
Yamato could tell what Takeru was planning to do from the expression on his brother's face, when he came back to the palace. He wasn't sure if he should stop him or help him. Well, at least he was going to apologize first for lying to his brother. He took a deep breath and approached Takeru who was sitting in the Reading Area of the library once more, deep in thought.  
  
Yamato cleared his throat to make his presence known. Yamato had never seen such an expression on Takeru's face as he looked up at him. There was a mixture of anger, determination, sadness, and regret. Yamato also saw a deep hurt there as well. His brother was hurting and he had played a part to make him feel like this.  
  
"Takeru. . ." He sighed deeply.  
  
"Forget it Yamato. Yolie had the care to tell me and I forgive you for lying to me since it was mine own fault as well. But don't try to change my mind about what I'm going to do." And with that he stood up and headed for the exit, leaving Yamato standing alone.  
  
By coincidence, when Takeru came out of the library, he happened to bump into the guards that were undoubtedly taking Hikary to one of the dungeon cells.  
  
"Where are you taking her?" Takeru asked the guards anways even if he knew the answer. Hikary lowered her head to avoid looking at the boy who had been her friend a short time before.  
  
"We're taking her to the dungeons, Your Highness,"  
  
"Good. Make sure you put her in the third one though." Takeru commanded.  
  
The guards looked curious and a little puzzled. The dungeons were all the same weren't they?  
  
"Well?" Takeru pressed.  
  
"Yes, Your Highness. It shall be done." And they walked off still wondering why the prince had given such an unusual order.  
  
***  
  
"Taichi! Have you seen Hikary?" The King of Heaven asked.  
  
"No father, she went out this morning and I haven't seen her since." Taichi answered.  
  
Just then a maid burst into the room, looking very frightened and distressed. She was clutching an envelop in her hand.  
  
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" She called out before sinking into a chair, panting hard.  
  
"What is it?" The King asked urgently.  
  
"This just came." She held out the letter in a shaking hand.  
  
Taichi took it and found out the reason for the maid's fear. He gasped. There was a seal at the back of the envelope. An angel with black wings, the sign of Hell. With dread he opened the envelope. The message on the letter was short but it was to the point and the first sentence made Taichi and the King turn pale.  
  
Hello, King Hiroshi  
  
I have your daughter, Princess Hikary. I give you twenty-four hours to surrender. If you do not then your daughter dies tomorrow. Keep that in mind.  
  
This is for what you did to me.  
  
Kurokami  
  
Taichi scrunched the letter with one hand and the other hand descended to a desk with a bang. The maid scampered away, not wanting to be in the king and the prince's company when they were angry. King Hiroshi didn't act like his son. He just stood there but with a fire burning in his eyes.  
  
"I'll go get her," Taichi said, breaking the silence that had descended on the room. "I'll bring her back from that place."  
  
His father looked up at him sharply.  
  
"You'll do no such thing, Taichi!" The king thundered.  
  
Taichi, surprised at the sudden outburst, stared at his father. It was unusual for the King to speak to his children in that tone.  
  
"I'm sorry, Taichi." As if realizing what he had just done, King Hiroshi sighed. He swayed on his feat and had to grab the nearest desk for support. Taichi only noticed then that his father was shaking a little. He immediately went over and placed a hand on his father's back, as if supporting the tired king.  
  
"Father let me go, please." Taichi asked once more.  
  
But the king stuck to his decision, shaking his head.  
  
"But I can't just stand here doing nothing! I can't let her just get killed in there!" Taichi shouted as, once more, anger settled in.  
  
"Then we'll surrender, I'm not going to let you risk your life. What if both of you didn't make it back?" The King said.  
  
"Do you think the Kind of Hell will just leave us, our people, alone if we surrendered? And all the millions of people on Earth, what about them?"  
  
"I just want my daughter back here safe." Taichi's father said.  
  
"How safe do you think she'll be if Heaven falls to Hell? And how do you know they'll keep their word about not killing her?"  
  
"Then what do you suggest we do?" King Hiroshi's voice was cracked.  
  
Taichi realized that they didn't have that many choices right now. His father was right, if he tried to safe his sister, there's likely chance that neither would be able to come back since he didn't even know where his sister was in Hell. If they surrendered then they lose the war and how many people will suffer then? He didn't want to think about that. Heaven's was supposed to protect Earth, not destroy it. But that meant there was only one other choice. To give up Hikary.  
  
No, Taichi would, could never do that. But what choice did they have? Either way, his sister was probably going to be killed. It was only the problem if they would be willing to trade Heaven's people and Earth's people for the princess that could even be dead. Taichi realized with guilt that if it was anyone's daughter, then they wouldn't have worried as much. They would most likely have made the necessary sacrifice for the balance.  
  
The same thoughts were going through the King's mind as well and they were still left with the dilemma while the clock continued to tick.  
  
"We need a miracle." It was all the king said but Taichi had to agree. They needed a miracle if they were ever going to see Hikary again.  
  
***  
  
Takeru had a plan but it won't work unless they put Hikary in the dungeon that he had specified. If all worked well then no one will know how the princess escaped or doubt him for helping her. It was simple, really, with only one obstacle. Will Hikary trust him? He needed to go down and talk to her first even though he hate to have to speak with her this soon after what he had done. He didn't think he can face her yet but there was no time to wait. His father had already sent a letter to Heaven and Takeru didn't know how much time he had. That was another thing he had to find out.  
  
Just as he plucked up the courage to go down to the dungeons, a knock sounded at his door. It was Yamato.  
  
"Are you here to stop me? If you are, I told you. . ." Takeru said.  
  
"I know that you won't listen to me this time and I'm not even going to try." Yamato said.  
  
"Then why. . ."  
  
"I'm going to help you with this." *I can't believe I said that.* Yamato thought to himself. But somehow it felt right.  
  
Takeru judged his brother with narrowed eyes as if not trusting him.  
  
"Hey, don't look at me like that. Yolie didn't tell me to do anything this time okay?" Yamato quickly said. "So tell me about your plans."  
  
Takeru explained.  
  
"I need to talk to her now and hopefully she'll trust me."  
  
"And I'll try to find out about what father's plans are and how much time we have."  
  
And with that they went their separate ways.  
  
***  
  
The word about the princess' capture spread like wild fire through the kingdom of Heaven. Soon everyone was whispering about it and about the king's decision. They knew that their fate depended on it and so no one was in a good mood.  
  
Taichi already given up the idea of rescuing Hikary by himself. He sat in his room with Daisuke as company. Neither of the boys talked, they only stared out the window at the ground below. Suddenly Taichi sat up as he remembered something in the letter.  
  
'This is for what you did to me.'  
  
What did that mean? His father did something to the King of Hell? Taichi didn't know any great event that imvolved his father and King Kurokami. He had never heard that the two kings had met each other. This didn't make sense. He decided to ask his father, at least it gave him something to do and it might just help them get Hikary back. Yes he would do it. He quickly explained to Daisuke and the two of them headed to find King Hiroshi.  
  
They passed a room where they heard Taichi's father talking with someone and was about to knock when the words they heard shocked them.  
  
". . .I can't believe Kurokami's still believes in that." The King was saying.  
  
"She was in love with you, you know. You can't exactly blame him." Taichi recognised the voice as Jyou. He was the best doctor in Heaven and even though he was only a few years older than Taichi, he had earned a place as one of King Hiroshi's closest friends.  
  
"But I didn't have anything to do with her disappearance."  
  
"I know."  
  
They heard a sigh from the king.  
  
"What am I going to do, Jyou."  
  
"Unless you can convince King Kurokami about it, I don't think. . ." The words trailed away.  
  
"I wish it was back to the old times. We had so much fun then, I don't know how this could have happened."  
  
"Your Majesty. . ." Jyou didn't know how to continue.  
  
Taichi and Daisuke had heard enough, they quietly made their way back. This wasn't a good time to ask the king anything, yet the conversation they heard left them with even more questions. Something had happened a long time ago and if they were correct, that was the cause of the war between the two kingdoms.  
  
***  
  
Yamato, even though he wasn't as popular as his brother, had made himself really popular especially among the maids in the palace. And when he just happened to find one that he knew quite well, caring a tray with two cups and a wine bottle, he went over.  
  
"Are you taking those to the king?" He asked.  
  
The girl turned around abruptly and when she saw Yamato, smiled.  
  
"Yeah." She said. The girl had long learned that she could act informal in front of this prince.  
  
"Would you do a favour for me, Mimi?" Yamato asked and winked.  
  
"Sure." Mimi answered.  
  
***  
  
Takeru walked down the stone steps that led to the dungeon nervously. He didn't know how he was going to convince Hiakry yet but he knew he had to do it somehow. He took a deep breath before descending the last of the steps. There was a guard standing at the entrance to all the dungeons.  
  
"I need to talk to the prisoner." Takeru announced.  
  
The guard didn't question him. Immediately he opened the door that led to a hallway where on either side were cells with bars from ceiling to floor. Currently there was only one prisoner in here and that was Hikary. The guard made as it to follow Takeru in but Takeru stopped him.  
  
"I need to talk to her alone if you please." He said politely. The guard only shrugged and closed the door again.  
  
Takeru walked down the hallway until he spotted Hikary's form. She was lying face down on a what could barely be called a bed. Her shoulders shook and Takeru realized that she was crying although she didn't make any sounds.  
  
There was a tray of food a little ways away from the bed but it was untouched. Hikary seemed unaware of Takeru's presence.  
  
"H-Hikary?"  
  
Hikary froze. She quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand and sat up, coming face to face with Takeru.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, still sniffing slightly.  
  
"I. . ." What should he say? It was too late to ask for her forgiveness, and maybe it was better if they forget each other after this. It would be better if she forgot about him then she probably wouldn't be hurt by him again. "I'm going to get you out."  
  
Whatever Hikary was expecting him to say, it certainly wasn't that, so she stared.  
  
"Your trying to trick me again." She said, there was no emotion in her voice.  
  
This is what Takeru had been afraid of.  
  
"No I'm not. You have to trust me this time. . ."  
  
"How can I? After what you did?" Hikary answerd him coldly. She turned her back on him only because she didn't want him to see the tears that she couldn't hold back.  
  
"Don't you want to go home? Don't you want to see your family again?" Takeru saw Hikary stiffen. He waited for her to reply.  
  
"How do I know if this. . .if this wasn't another trap?"  
  
Takeru paused.  
  
"My father already sent out a letter to your father. I don't know what was written on it but it's not going to be good news for your people, you can be sure of that." He avoided her question but he could see that she was worried about her family.  
  
"Think about it, I'll come back later and you can tell me your answer then." And he left.  
  
***  
  
Mimi brought the wine to the King and waited in a corner. To the king, she was just acting like any other maid but he didn't even suspect that she was listening in on the conversation between him and the Kaizer.  
  
"I'm very pleased with this. Either way, we get something. And this loss should make Hiroshi weaker." King Kurokami grinned and sipped his wine, enjoying it. "What's the matter Kaizer? You're awfully quiet today."  
  
"Oh I was just thinking, Your Majesty. I think we should do away with the girl tonight." The Kaizer said.  
  
"What?! But why?"  
  
"Well, King Hiroshi might sent out people to come rescue her." But that was only a likely reason. The Kaizer was more worried about the prince, Takeru. He seemed different when he came back and the Kaizer was suspecting of what he might do.  
  
"Oh don't worry about that, they couldn't possibly get pass all the guards here." King Kurokami said proudly.  
  
"No probably not, but they could still take down a few of your men, my King. Isn't it better to make sure our plan succeeds? We just have to take her wings. This chance will be hard to come again."  
  
"Hmm, maybe you're right. This way, we make sure no one can go rescue her and we increase our powers."  
  
"That is right, Your Majesty, and you can get your revenge this way."  
  
"I agree. We will do this now, go get the necessary preparations done, Kaizer, then go get the girl." He drank the last of his wine.  
  
"Yes your Majesty." The advisor bowed low so the king could not see the smirk. Yes, everything was going according to plan.  
  
***  
  
Yamato paced around in his room, waiting for Mimi. The maid had instantly agreed when he asked her to eavesdrop on the king. While waiting, his thoughts wondered to his brother. Yamato wondered if his brother knew the risk that he was taking. He didn't won't anything to happen to his brother and that meant this had to succeed. He cared too much for Takeru to see him hurt.  
  
That thought brought a memory back to him, the only memory he had of his mother. He had been young then and his mother had made him promise something.  
  
"Yamato, you must always take care of your brother. Promise me you're protect him Yamato, promise me." She had looked Yamato straight in the eyes and said it very seriously.  
  
"Of course, leave it to me." Yamato remembered himself answering. He didn't know, then, why his mother was asking him that because he already knew that as a big brother, he'd look after Takeru. And after that promise, his mother smiled and laughed as if such a serious moment had never happened between them.  
  
Now, Yamato was not so sure that had only been a simple warning that a mother always gave to her older child. He sensed something deeper but he didn't know what. Did his mother somehow knew that something like this was going to happen? But whatever it was, he would make sure Takeru was safe, just like he promised.  
  
But both he nor Takeru realized that their plan would be the first step to change everything if it succeeded.  
  
Mimi burst into his room without knocking.  
  
"Did you get any information?" Yamato asked.  
  
"Sure I did." Mimi answered. Then she proceeded to explain everything she had heard.  
  
"Thanks Mimi, you did a good job and make sure you keep quiet about it like always, okay?" Yamato said in a hurry.  
  
"Are you doubting me?" Mimi asked as she went out.  
  
As soon as she left Yamato bolted down the hallway to get Takeru. At the moment he felt very lucky to have Mimi as a spy. She might not be the brightest person and wouldn't even connect the the escape (if it succeeded) with the two princes but she sure liked gossip and therefore it was hard for her to miss anything important when Yamato told her to eavesdrop.  
  
He pushed open the door to his brother's room and yelled.  
  
"Takeru!!"  
  
"What is it, Yamato?" Takeru asked.  
  
"I sure hope you got the princess to trust you because if you're still planning on rescuing her, you better do it now or you better forget aout it." Yamato said all this with one breath.  
  
"Why?" Takeru sounded puzzled.  
  
"They are going to cut her wings, Takeru, and they're planning to do it now!"  
  
***  
  
A note. I am NOT planning to put Yamato with Mimi. The reason she was in here at all was because, you know, I hate to make up names. And why I didn't use Sora? Well, I didn't think Sora was the kind that liked gossip or to eavesdrop.  
  
One more thing King Hiroshi and King Kurokami will probably have very different personality from the Anime since it wouldn't work. So you can probably imagine them as different people if you want to. And the kings names are first names not last names.  
  
Thanks for reading and review please! I like reviews. The rescue's in the next chapter.  
  
Takeru: Is it going to succeed?  
  
Hikary: I hope so, I don't want to die.  
  
Daisuke: Don't worry I'll save you, Hikary-chan.  
  
Kiseki: Uh, actually, Daisuke. . .you're not.  
  
Daisuke: What?! Does that mean Hikary-chan's going to die? Kiseki, you can't do that, that's unthinkable!  
  
Kiseki: . . .  
  
Ken: Kiseki, you're not really going to do that to Hikary-san are you?  
  
Kiseki: . . .  
  
Hikary: I'm going to. . .die?  
  
Kiseki: If you read you'll find out. 


	7. Chapter 6: The Rescue

Dislaimer: Digimon belongs to Toei not me.  
  
Kiseki: Sorry people for the wait. I typed this chapter but then and then something happened and I lost it so I haven't had the heart to type it again because I was really disappointed. And now I finally got it done! Yay!  
  
Taichi: I'm gonna kill those guards that dared to capture MY sister!  
  
Yamato: Kiseki, how can you do that to Takeru! I thought you didn't like to torture your characters and so far you've made Takeru feel really really bad! If you don't stop doing it I'll, I'll. . .  
  
Kiseki: I can always make this a 'Romeo & Juliet' ending you know.  
  
Taichi, Takeru, & Hikary: *glares at Yamato*  
  
Yamato: I-I think I'll shut up now.  
  
Kiseki: Good choice, now on to the story!  
  
Taichi: Are you continuing already?  
  
Kiseki: Why, don't you want me to?  
  
Taichi: . . .  
  
Kiseki: *notices the person in Taichi's arms*  
  
Taichi: *blushes*  
  
Kiseki: Ohh! =^_^=  
  
Oh and the rest of this story will be dedicated to anyone who reviewed and especially to eunc who encouraged me the most! Thanx!  
  
***  
  
Chapter 6: The Rescue  
  
Takeru paled and he bit his lip as Yamato finished what he was saying. Without another word he turned around, rushed to his bed, and knelt down beside it. He began fumbling with the carpet, trying to lift it off to get to soemthing under it. But in his haste and panic, his hands shook and the carpet kept slipping from his hands.  
  
Suddenly Yamato's hand were on top of his, stopping his frantic movements.  
  
"Calm down, Takeru, don't panic. You won't be able to help anyone like that. We still have time, Takeru."  
  
Takeru nodded and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Then went back to what he was doing. This time, he was able to flip the carpet over and get to whatever that was under it.  
  
It was a door on the floor. Takeru flipped it open and jumped in. This was a tunnel that he had discovered a long time ago and it lead to some very interesting places inside the castle. Yamato, of course, knew about it since the two of them used this tunnel very often to play pranks and other things. Nobody seemed to know about it since they haven't met anyone. They had memorized all the routes by heart and knew where each route led to. There was only one place that they haven't been able to get to and it was behind a locked door that they had tried to open many times but to no avail. It stayed locked.  
  
"Takeru, I'll get the dye ready and please be careful." Yamato said.  
  
"Thanks, I will." Takeru answered and ducked into the darkness of the tunnel that would lead him to the dungeon that Hikary was in.  
  
He walked with a hand tracing along the wall beside him. It was dark and cold but Takeru didn't dare bring a candle with him for one of the part he had to crawl because of the low ceiling and a candle would only slow him down but that meant he had to walk in complete darkness. The walls were cool and bumpy and it felt more like a cave than a secret pasageway to Takeru.  
  
He nade a turn and felt the ground slope downwards. It was actually kind of creepy walking down this tunnel alone without any light. There was no sound expect for his own footsteps and breathing. The silence was getting on his nerves now and so he tried to think about other stuff to distract himself.  
  
But what he found himself thinking about was even worse than the silence. He was worried about Hikary and so he kept wondering if he would be too late when he got there. Then he mentally kicked himself for thinking negatively. But he still unconsciously picked up his pace.  
  
***  
  
Hikary sat on the ground in the middle of her prison with her legs drawn up and her arms around them. Her chin rested on top of her knees as she thought about what Takeru said. She shivered slightly and hugged herself even tighter. It was cold and she only had a thin shirt and shorts on.  
  
She wanted to Takeru, really, but what was stopping him from lying to her again, betraying her agian? But he was right, she was worried about her family. She could only guess what was in that letter and it did nothing to ease her mind any. And it looked like they wouldn't let her go any time soon. She was beginning to miss her home now and wondered how she got herself in this mess.  
  
Takeru. He had seemed so nice and it really didn't seem like he was acting at all. How could he? Hikary wondered. *And now he's asking me to trust him? How can I?*  
  
"So you still want to be friends with me?"  
  
"Of course"  
  
Takeru had sounded so sincere and to think it was all a fake just to get her to fall into this trap. She knew she should be angry but she wasn't, instead she felt a sadness that she had never felt before and which was overwhelming her. She felt another lump forming in her throat and a prickling feeling in her eyes. She buried her face into her knees.  
  
*Baka! (Stupid) Don't cry! There's nothing to cry about. You should be mad at him. He clearly didn't care about you.* But she found she couldn't not care and stopped to trying to hold her tears in. The tears flowed as she let all her feelings out. And finally she understood why she felt what she felt. She realized it with a jolt of surprise.  
  
*I-I think I'm. . .*  
  
A sound and dust falling from above distracted her. She looked up and got to her feet as more dust fell. Hikary coughed and rubbed her eyes as she staggered aside to avoid more dust. When she looked up again, she found that a part of the ceiling was moving. She gasped as she leaned against the wall.  
  
Then to her immense shock, a tile in the ceiling was peeled away and a whole was created that was big enough for a person to fit in. A very dusty face poked itself out of the hole and wrinkled its nose as it sneezed.  
  
***  
  
"Everything is set Your Majesty." The Kaizer reported.  
  
"Excellent, go get the prisoner, Kaizer." King Kurokami commanded.  
  
"As you wish."  
  
***  
  
Hikary was able to recognize the face as Takeru's and she quickly tried to wipe her face. Takeru didn't miss that action however and realized with a pan of guilt that she had been crying again and it was most likely because of him.  
  
"Hikary, you have to get out of here now." Takeru said urgently.  
  
"Didn't you say you were going to give me more time to think about that? And I still haven't even given you my answer yet." Hikary retorted, avoiding his gaze.  
  
"We don't have time, come now!"  
  
"What do you mean we don't have time?"  
  
"They're coming right now for your execution."  
  
That certainly was not what Hikary had been expecting.  
  
"How can I be sure that you're not lying to me again?" She asked after a while.  
  
"Look, I don't care if you trust me or not. . ." Takeru said.  
  
"Then why?"  
  
Takeru thought about that. It would sound suspicious if he said he felt bad about what he did and he didn't have time to explain everything.  
  
"If you don't trust me then do it for Earth, please Hikary, I may have lied to you but I can't control what you see. You told me that you liked Earth and I do too, I love it. I don't want to see it destroyed, Hikary, and if you stayed here it will be destroyed along with the balance."  
  
Hikary heard the pleading tone in Takeru's voice but she still hesitated a little. She remembered the feeling when she looked out from the clock tower and she remembered the lake and the wild creatures there and she also remembered the cherry trees. Yes, she loved the planet.  
  
A scraping noise was heard a little way down the hallway, outside her cell.  
  
"Hurry, Hikary! They're coming!" Takeru beckoned.  
  
She hesitated a little longer then slowly went under the hole.  
  
"Jump now!" Takeru whispered as they heard the footsteps enter the outside door.  
  
Hikary jumped and reached up. Her arm was caught by Takeru who pulled while Hikary used her other hand to grab the edge to help herself and all the while, the footsteps got closer.  
  
***  
  
The Kaizer walked down the hallway with a few other guards.  
  
*With the princess of Heaven out of the way, this plan will soon be completed*  
  
But the grin on his face soon disappeared as he looked into the empty dungeon. The guards gasped and whispered to each other. If anyone chanced to look up at that precise moment they would have seen a part of the ceiling sliding closed into place but no one noticed that in the semi- darkness of the cell.  
  
The Kaizer let out a scream of rage as he raced out of the hallway, pushing past the stunned guards.  
  
***  
  
Takeru and Hikary stood in the darkness, panting a little, as they heard that horrible scream which made their inside turn cold.  
  
*That had been too close* Takeru thought.  
  
"Come on, it's not over yet." He said and told Hikary to follow him.  
  
They made it back to Takeru's room in silence with Hikary following Takeru's footsteps as guidance to which direction she should be going.  
  
Yamato was waiting nervously and pacing around the room. He could hear the guards outside talking about the escaped prisoner and something about a search. That meant Takeru's rescue was successful and he was able to relax some what. Then the next moment, Takeru burst out of the tunnel with Hikary behind him.  
  
Hikary stared at Yamato, not sure what she should be thinking.  
  
"That's my brother, Yamato. Don't worry, he's helping us." Takeru explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Here's the dye." Yamato held up a bottle with black dye in it and gave it to his brother.  
  
"Hikary, open your wings for a sec." Takeru said as he moved toward her.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We need to dye your wings."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're going to fly there and you can't expect to get there with white wings can you?" Yamato said.  
  
Hikary frowned a little then slowly allowed her wings to appear behind her. The two princes both moved behind her and quickly dyed her wings, making sure no white feather could be seen. That done, Takeru threw a cap to the girl and a pair of glasses.  
  
"You better wear those. You fooled me pretty well when we first met with that disguise so there's a good chance you'll be able to fool everyone else in this kingdom."  
  
Hikary took the disguises in silence and wondered why Takeru was doing all of this for her. *No, he's not doing this for me, he's doing it for Earth* A little voice reminded her.  
  
"Ready?" Takeru asked. She nodded.  
  
Takeru spread his wings and Hikary noticed that her wings were not exactly the same colour but it was getting dark outside and so it wouldn't be easy to tell anyway. She felt a cool hand grab onto hers and flushed a little as Takeru led her over to the balcony. She was glad the cap hid most of her face.  
  
They dropped silently into the shadows of trees and buildings as they made their way toward the gate. They made every use of the shadows when possible, trying to avoid as many as people as they could.  
  
They made it to the gate with only one obsticle in their way and that was when Takeru found that they had to cross path with the guards that captured Hikary. He didn't notice anywhere for them to hide and he didn't think the disguises could fool those two. He did the only thing that came into mind. He grabbed Hikary's wrists, pinned her to a wall, and kissed her full on the mouth as the guards passed. They passed with a curious look at the couple but didn't recognize Hikary for Takeru's face almost completely hid the girl's face.  
  
Hikary was too shocked at first to react and Takeru was grateful for that. He pulled away with an apologetic look.  
  
"Sorry, I had to do that. I didn't think your disguise would have worked against those guards because they were the ones that captured you."  
  
Takeru then turned to scan the surrounding to see if any more people were coming and didn't notice that Hikary didn't reply.  
  
They made it to the gate without more problems and went to Earth so Hikary could find her own gate to go back.  
  
"Well, you're save now. You better go back, your parents must be worried about you." He turned to go.  
  
"Wait!" Hikary called.  
  
Takeru stopped but didn't turn to face her.  
  
"Why did you save me?" She asked.  
  
*I can't tell her, I don't have the right to tell her.*  
  
"I told you I did it for Earth."  
  
"So all that you have told me were all lies?" *Please deny that, please*  
  
*They're not lies, Hikary. But how can I tell you? I don't deserve forgiveness and I certainly don't deserve your friendship. Perhaps it's better if we stay this way. Away from each other. This way, I won't be able to hurt you again*  
  
Takeru turned around then and answered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Hikary felt as if something was tearing at her heart. She wanted to deny it but the truth was right in front of her. Takeru didn't care about her and there was no use hoping anymore. He had just told her that. She stared at the ground and shook.  
  
"Hikary. . ." Takeru started.  
  
"Liar!" Hikary suddenly burst out and stared straight into Takeru's eyes.  
  
Takeru was taken back by the expression in her eyes and the tears that slipped down her cheeks.  
  
"Liar!" She cried out again. "You said you were my friend and I trusted you, Takeru! I thought I could trust you!" And with that, she ran.  
  
Takeru stood alone.  
  
*It wasn't a lie Hikary, I really did mean that. But how can I tell you?*  
  
He looked up at the star speckled sky.  
  
*How can I ever tell you that I love you?*  
  
***To Be Continued. . .***  
  
Hikary: Yay! I'm alive!  
  
Takeru: I don't get Hikary-chan?  
  
Daisuke: That means I still have a chance! *Thinks* Wait am I even in the rest of the story?  
  
Kiseki: Of course you are and I must say you'll like your part.  
  
Daisuke & Takeru: What does that mean?  
  
Kiseki: I'm not telling ya.  
  
Daisuke: Am I going to date Hikary-chan?  
  
Takeru: Of course you're not, right Kiseki?  
  
Kiseki: I said I'm not telling you!  
  
Takeru: I hate it when you say that.  
  
Hikary: *Dances around the room because she's alive* Review please! 


	8. Chapter 7: Rain

Disclaimer: Toei owns the character. I own the plot of this story and two names so far.  
  
I'm sooooooo sorry! This shouldn't have taken this long! Please, if anyone's still reading this story, I will continue this and please bare with me. I'll try not to do this again and thank you for the reviews, which really helped me a lot from giving up on this. Thanx people!  
  
***  
  
Chapter 7: Rain  
  
Hikary woke from a dream and sat up. She didn't immediately recognize her surroundings or remember how she had gotten there. But a quick scan around the room proofed it familiar and another look confirmed that she was in her own room.  
  
She was in her nightdress and was sitting in the soft bed with all the pillows and silky bed coverings. The curtains were drawn around the four-poster bed and the strong smell of roses were in the air.  
  
Yes, she was home.  
  
She didn't remember how she had gotten into her room, though, or how she had returned to Heaven at all. She remembered running, running until she thought she couldn't run anymore, until her breaths came in ragged gasps, but she didn't stop. For she felt that if she stopped, she would never be able to stand up again. There were tears, she knew she was crying but couldn't seemed to be able to control that impossible flow of liquid from her eyes yet she didn't make a sound. It blinded her, and everything was blurry but her feet somehow knew the way and somehow, she had avoided bumping into anything. When her vision cleared enough for her to recognize her surroundings, she had found her in her brother's arms, crying into his shoulder. How she got there, she didn't know. And she didn't care.  
  
She remembered the soft soothing voice of Taichi and his gentle hand running through her hair and she had suddenly felt tired and the weight that was crushing at her heart suddenly couldn't be kept in any longer and she had cried, gasping, and breaking down completely in her brother's arms and just let him hold and comfort her.  
  
She didn't remember anything after that and decided that she must have fallen asleep right there in her brother's arms. The light shining in through the gap in her curtain told her that it must be morning. She gently pulled the covers off and slipped silently into the slipper that she knew was placed there. The curtains were pushed aside as she stood up.  
  
It was raining. The view from the window directly in front of her told her that. It was falling steadily and no wind disturbed its downward course from the sky. Everything she could see had already been touched by its wet fingers and it hit her window with a soft rhythmic beat before rolling down the smooth clear glass.  
  
Hikary walked over to the huge windows and sat on the window seat without taking her eyes off of the view before her. A hand went up to touch the glass. It was cool against her warm fingertips. The faint reflection that she could see from the glass stared back at her.  
  
She blinked. Were those really her eyes that stared back at her? They looked dead, so different from her usual reflection. She tried to smile but her reflection came out wrong. It was forced and didn't seem natural. She looked alien to herself today and she didn't know why. Her hair was still brown and short like always but only a little ruffled looking. Her creamy skin was smooth and there were no pimples or anything. Her perfect nose and her delicate mouth, yes they were all the same. But something was missing, something that didn't make her look like the usual her. Was it just her imagination?  
  
She continued to stare.  
  
***  
  
Sora had been specially assigned to take care of the princess by the king. She was one of the new maids that King Hiroshi had employed and even though she wasn't the princess' personal maid the two had gotten on well.  
  
Ever since the Queen died from the third pregnancy, Hikary had suddenly closed herself up. Her mother was the only one that Hikary opened herself completely to and the death of the still young woman was a very bad shock to the girl. After that nothing the king or the prince did could get the girl to open up again. She didn't talk as much anymore and kept to herself more often.  
  
But recently the King had noticed a great change in his daughter. Hikary laughed more often and a glow entered her face that had been gone since the death of her mother. Ever since Sora came, Hikary had been more open. She was able to talk to Sora like she did to her mother and Sora adored the younger girl. They've gotten on very well.  
  
But that wasn't why Hikary had seemed open these past few weeks. She did like Sora but it was more like a big sister. She shared her thoughts with her but those were what she couldn't talk about with her brother or any boy. No, Sora was definitely not the reason.  
  
It had been Takeru. The time she spent with the boy reminded of her of the time when her mother had been alive. She found that she could talk about anything with the boy and he would listen, never once making fun of her. He never once criticized her ideas or thought her weird. He even agreed with her. And Hikary found herself pouring out everything that she had cooped up inside. She couldn't stop herself but it felt nice. And for the first time since the Queen's death, she was truly happy again.  
  
The King didn't know of this nor did he know about the relationship between his daughter and the prince of Hell at all so he sent Sora to the princess' room, hoping to find out what had caused Hikary to weep.  
  
So Sora stood before Hikary's door with a tray of food that was the breakfast she had prepared. Was it better to knock or just enter quietly? Sora hesitated. She didn't want to disturb the girl from a much needed sleep. With a nod to herself she made up her mind. Placing a hand gently on the doorknob, she pushed the door slowly open. When it was big enough for her to slip through, she silently slid in and closed the door again behind her. Then she tiptoed through the many sections of the princess' chamber until she reached the bedroom.  
  
The bed was empty, the curtain was open, and the slippers were gone. It did not take long for her to spot the fragile figure of the girl sitting in front of the window staring outside. The sight was a new one for Sora. She had never seen that quiet yet bright girl like this before. There was no emotion on the girl's face and such an expression didn't fit the child's young face nor should it have been there. Something must have caused the girl to be like this and Sora had every intention of finding out what.  
  
Hikary seemed unaware of her presence in her room since she hadn't moved at all. Sora approached cautiously. Despite her effort to not scare the girl, Hikary still jumped when Sora tapped her gently on the shoulder.  
  
For an instant Sora saw panic, shock, and fear but that soon disappeared when Hikary recognized her. Then her expression almost turned back to her normal ones. Almost. But it was different. It wasn't smooth and seemed forced as if the girl was taking great pains just to smile. She tried, Sora saw that, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes were still that horrible dead expression.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" It was better to act normal as if she didn't notice anything. Sora began preparing the breakfast on the low table.  
  
"Yes, thank you." Hikary replied in her sweet and bright voice. A little too bright.  
  
Sora observed as Hikary took her seat and started to eat. Her movements were stiff and robotic.  
  
"That is good. Your father and brother are worried about you." Sora poured a sweet smelling tea into the small white teacup.  
  
"I'm alright." Hikary reached out and took the teacup in her hand. It wasn't obvious, but Sora noticed it. The girl's hands were shaking.  
  
"They would like to know what happened."  
  
The cup was halfway to her lips before it froze. Her face suddenly had a distant look  
  
*What happened, Hikary?*  
  
The girl put the cup back onto its saucer.  
  
"Are you alright?" Sora asked softly.  
  
She nodded but she looked no where near fine.  
  
"I-I'm not that hungry anymore, Sora. Thank you for bringing me this but I don't want it." She said in a not so smooth voice. "Sorry." She added, her gaze lowered to her lap.  
  
Then her eyes widened as suddenly she felt arms around her. She stared, surprised, as Sora who had acted on impulse, pressed her closer into her shoulder.  
  
"It's alright Hikary. If you want to cry, don't hold it in. Just cry." She had no idea what possessed her to do this and she didn't even know what was wrong with the girl but it was clear something had hurt her emotionally and deeply. They stayed like that for a long time. Hikary sobbed out her entire story, unable to stop and just cried with Sora patiently listening.  
  
Somehow, Sora convinced Hikary to tell the whole story to her father which the girl agreed to do, too tired to argue back.  
  
***  
  
Takeru decided to forget about the whole experience. He read his books, talked to his brother, even flirted with girls but everything reminded him of 'her'. He wanted desperately to go down to Earth but he didn't. He knew he'll regret what he had done to her even more if he did and he was thankful for the rain for it provided an excuse for him to not go.  
  
Now, he wandered aimlessly through the hallways, talking to everyone he met just to keep his mind from wandering. Normally, he would have gone to the library but not today. The books brought too many memories to mind and he didn't need that right now. And so, he stayed away from his favourite place in the whole palace.  
  
His father was greatly angered at the escape and wasn't in a very good mood. The Kaizer was even more upset than the king. He snapped at everyone and muttered curses. And Yolie? Well, she was as cool and graceful as ever. The seemly impossible escape of the Princess of Heaven had not affected her. And while the king pondered on how the girl disappeared without anyone noticing, Yolie was doing some serious sneaking around.  
  
Of course the Kaizer and his sly daughter knew who helped with the 'disappearing act'. But they also knew that the king will not believe them and they had no proof and besides they still could not figure out how the prince sneaked the girl out. The guard by the entrance to the dungeon had clearly stated that the prince had only entered once. So Yolie, like the fox that she was, sneaked into Takeru's chamber for an investigation.  
  
It didn't take her long to find the bottle of dye that was still on the table where Yamato forgot to put away nor was it hard for her keen eyes to spot a single white feather stuck between the carpet and the floor. And she left with a satisfied smirk and the feather safely wrapped in her handkerchief.  
  
***  
  
"Sora, thanks." Taichi said.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For helping my sister. I don't think she would have told us anything if it weren't for you."  
  
Sora smiled a little.  
  
"She reminded me of myself. Did you know that I used to be like that? Ever since my father left, I felt so lonely, you know. I just don't want anyone to feel how I felt."  
  
"I-I didn't know." Taichi said.  
  
"I never told you before. And about Hikary. . ." Sora said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"She's sleeping right now but I don't think she'll recover quickly. Someone should go talk to her and try to keep her from thinking too much about 'him'." Sora advised.  
  
"I'll do that. Thanks again." Taichi gave her a little wave before they parted.  
  
***  
  
*So my daughter is in love with the prince of Hell. The son of. . .Kurokami*  
  
King Hiroshi didn't know how to take that in. The relief of having his daughter miraculously returned to him was great but this little thing puzzled him. It was clear that Hikary loved Takeru even if she didn't admit it to them.  
  
And it was with a sense of irony that the king remembered a promise. A promise made long ago when he was still young and the kingdom was still peaceful. It was a promise that had not yet been broken but soon would be if the contract was found.  
  
*Things could have been so different*  
  
But the unexpected meeting of Takeru and Hikary was something no one had counted on and which made the promise harder to break. . .not that King Hiroshi wanted to. In fact, he wanted it to be kept.  
  
*I wonder what made him change so much? And why didn't he tell me anything? Things could have been very different. I should have noticed that something was wrong before it got so out of hand. We could still have been friends and we still could if only you would talk to me instead of fighting against me.  
  
Kurokami, what happened to you?*  
  
***  
  
There used to be five of them. One a warrior born and a natural leader, another with a skill to match, one as smart as time was old, another with a generous heart. The last held the beauty of a rose and the grace of a swan, the envy of every man.  
  
These five were inseparable.  
  
Until another came into their mist. . .  
  
. . .and everything changed.  
  
Now two of the five are dead and one is missing. Another is plagued by hatred while the last is forced to fight.  
  
And the one that joined them last? The sixth? The sixth watches, unknown to all, yet that is the only thing that could be done. The sixth could only watch and wait.  
  
***  
  
*This is a bad idea, a very bad idea*  
  
Daisuke was fidgeting in his chair that Hikary provided for him. Being the best friend of the princess, he had the privilege to learn about what had happened. Now he sat staring at the floor in Hikary's room unable to say what he 'had' thought as a good idea.  
  
*Well, at least Taichi agrees with me*  
  
With that thought lodged in mind, he meekly peaked up at the girl. They had not spoken a single word to each other since Hikary let him in, which only made Daisuke nervous. But unaware of the discomfort of her friend, Hikary was staring out the window again as if oblivious of the presence of another person in her room. Or maybe she just had forgotten.  
  
Daisuke gulped and took a deep breath, his hands clutched tightly into fists.  
  
*Here I go. . .*  
  
"Hikary-chan. . ." He shut his eyes tightly and lowered his head and blurted out what he had been trying to say.  
  
He waited with his eyes closed but there was complete silence. Daisuke wondered if she heard at all and the idea of repeating what he said brought a blush to his cheeks. After a while, curiosity made him look up.  
  
Hikary was looking at him with a surprised look on her face and. . .was that amusement he saw?  
  
*Well, at least she's not looking at me in horror or disgust.* Daisuke thought with some relief. But the next words that came out of Hikary's mouth shocked Daisuke even more than if she had a look of horror and disgust.  
  
"I think I will."  
  
Daisuke fell out of his chair.  
  
***  
  
Takeru was completely miserable. Now that he forbade himself to go to the library, he didn't know what he could do and teasing girls soon became very boring. And what with the rain, he couldn't even go take a walk outside. Now, he was stuck in his room since there wasn't a better place to be.  
  
It was hunger that drove him out of his room at the end. He realized that it was way past lunchtime and so he decided to go to the kitchen to get some food. He didn't feel like eating with the other's in the great hall because it was too noisy and Takeru wanted quiet at the moment.  
  
It was just as well. He needed to stretch his legs anyway. Sitting around in your room all day could be very tiring. A walk to the kitchen would be good and some food would satisfy his stomach. It gave him something to do at least and after that. . .well, he'll think about that later.  
  
The kitchen was large and chefs were already cooking for the next meal. It was very crowded with people hustling and bustling here and there. Takeru managed to weave through them without getting in their way and after getting a few pieces of cheese, ham, and bread, got out of the kitchen as quickly as he could. He made himself a simple sandwich, which he ate slowly while he thought about what to do next.  
  
Just as he finished his last bite, the person that Takeru wanted to see the least appeared before him.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked coldly, stopping in his tracks.  
  
"Relax, I'm not going to do anything. I only came to tell you a bit of news since you seemed to be a little behind the times." Yolie smiled.  
  
Takeru hated that smile.  
  
"Princess Hikary of Heaven is engaged and the wedding will be taking place in three days."  
  
***  
  
He ran. It didn't matter if he was completely drenched from head to foot or that he was shivering with cold. He actually welcomed the rain that he had hated moments before. It made everything seem less real.  
  
He should be happy shouldn't he? Hikary was getting married. She had moved on and she'll be happy from now on. But oh, how he hurt.  
  
He placed a hand on the trunk of a tree and panted for breath as he scanned his surroundings.  
  
A lake.  
  
The lake.  
  
How in the world had he gotten here?  
  
It didn't matter anymore. She had already forgotten about him and went on with her life. He should do the same. But he couldn't. He raised his face to the sky as he let the droplets of rain ran down his face and neck.  
  
He couldn't.  
  
Emotions coursed through him and he didn't want to hold them in. He couldn't hold them in.  
  
And he let them out in one single word that was thrown at the sky.  
  
"Hikary!"  
  
No one heard that desperate cry.  
  
And the rain continued to fall, undisturbed.  
  
***  
  
First of all I must say, TAKARI FANS PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME!!! OK, Um, I promise that the marriage thing will be resolved in the next chapter and some really nice Takari moments coming up soon! Please review! 


	9. Chapter 8: To Forgive and Remember

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Only the story's mine.  
  
AN: The information on the updates of my stories will be posted in my bio including the date the next chapter will be out. Please read and enjoy this. . .if you can. ^-^ ***  
  
Chapter 8: To Forgive and Remember  
  
Love does not always find a way: but gives A promise that it cannot be destroyed. It's even killed and buried: yet it lives In every heart in which it's crucified.  
  
Love is sheer joy. But has to suffer you And me. It can't avoid its Calvary. Silent. Unseen. Transparent, pure and true, Rich in its own reward of poverty.  
  
When we can find us one to whom to turn, On nothing but on it can we rely To consume us, or else we can but burn In just the fire we persecute it by.  
  
Love cannot help but always wish all well. Its denial is the essence of hell.  
  
The three days passed in a blur. There was much celebration and rejoicing in the kingdom of Heaven. It came as a surprise yet people were glad for a full day of feasting and fun. The heavy rain outside didn't affect their mood any longer.  
  
The day that the announcement was made, the King commanded the cooks for a grand feast and for the decoration of the entire palace. Dressmakers and Hairdressers were summoned for the Princess and also for Daisuke. The two spent an entire day in their rooms, attended by personal helpers and fussed over by the dressmakers, for wedding garments must be made.  
  
Measurements were taken and outlines of the clothing were discussed. Hikary made no effort to speak with any and only answered when she was asked a question though those were short and precise answers. She sat still for five hours while they experimented with her hair, never moving. Although the helpers found this quite odd, they didn't say anything for it made their job much easier. The entire time, the girl stared into the huge mirror in front of her that adorned one part of the wall.  
  
She never smiled.  
  
They tried many different things with her hair and showed her many kinds of laces and jewels. To all of these Hikary only nodded her head. The dressmakers could only give each other questioning looks and didn't give any comment. It was clear that the Princess didn't care how she appeared at her wedding. She gave no voice to her thoughts nor any suggestions and she left all the decisions to whoever was in charge. And when everything was done and decided except for the colour of the dress, Hikary was asked to choose.  
  
To that she answered, "Black."  
  
After a moment of hesitation, the dressmaker replied.  
  
"But Your Highness, it is your wedding day! And black is such a. . .a dark colour for such a bright event. It will not be good luck. Pray, choose another colour."  
  
Hikary was silent. The dressmaker, seen that the girl wasn't about to reply anytime soon, continued.  
  
"How about pink or white, your favourite colour? Or would you like. . ."  
  
"White would be fine." Hikary answered. And that was all she said. There was no argument and Hikary didn't press further.  
  
***  
  
Plop.  
  
Another stone landed in the water.  
  
Plop.  
  
He was here again. Now that he already came once, he found it easier to visit this place. He still loved it, now more than ever. Yet he also hated it. It was like this kind of candy, sweet and sour at the same time.  
  
  
  
Plop.  
  
Around him, the rain droned on. He was dry though. The leaves above him protected him from the droplets of rain. And there was a nice flat rock where he could sit and think.  
  
Plop.  
  
Three days ago, he wasn't anything like this and yet three days ago was what made him come here. Today would be the wedding and he wondered what she was doing now. Would she be dancing with her new husband? Or maybe it was in the middle of the ceremony.  
  
He let his imagination run. She would be clad in white silk in a long flowing gown that exposed her shoulders. And her hair would be the way he remembered it except there would be flowers in them. The sleeve would have to be short to show off her arms. And in her hands there would be a bouquet of flowers and whenever she moved, the light would shimmer in her dress and make her look as if she was floating. Her eyes would reflect the light and a gentle laugh bubbling around her mouth.  
  
He smiled to himself. Three days ago, he wouldn't have dared to this. Yet now, it was easy for him to conjure that vivid picture in his mind. He wouldn't forget and he didn't need to forget.  
  
Plop.  
  
He should move on but not forget. This time he'll move on with the memories. The sour and sweet memories.  
  
He smiled again.  
  
He loved her.  
  
Plop.  
  
That's all that matters.  
  
Takeru thought.  
  
The rain began to stop as a few rays of sunlight shone through the clouds.  
  
***  
  
Daisuke could barely hold still while getting dressed. Finally the day he'd been dreaming of since he was a child was finally here! Taking one last look into the mirror, he rushed out of his room.  
  
"Whoa! Slow down Daisuke!" Taichi called out as he barely avoided from bumping into the younger boy.  
  
"Sorry Taichi. Is Hikary-chan ready yet?" Daisuke asked.  
  
Taichi laughed. The boy before him didn't seem much like someone who was about to get married. Daisuke acted more like a five-year-old, bobbing up and down.  
  
"She should be but I think her maids said that she wanted to be alone for a few minutes."  
  
"She seemed to be spending a lot of her time in her room doesn't she?" Daisuke asked, a little worried.  
  
"Yeah." Taichi nodded. Then there was a pause. "Maybe you should go talk to her."  
  
"But what would I say?"  
  
"Hey, if you couldn't get her to cheer up then no one will. You're her best friend after all not to mention you're going to be her husband in a few hours. Go on!" With that, Taichi gave Daisuke a little push in the right direction.  
  
Daisuke gave Taichi one last doubtful look before walking down toward Hikary's room.  
  
Daisuke found Hikary in the exact same position as on the day that he proposed. Except this time, she was wearing her long white gown and looking like a goddess that was beyond Daisuke's definition of beautiful. For a moment he only stood and stared then he moved closer.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it again as he saw something slide down her cheek. A single teardrop hung at the edge of her jaw-line and then it dropped.  
  
In that second, Daisuke knew what he had to do. And as if sensing that something was different, Hikary turned around.  
  
"D-Daisuke," She raised a hand and quickly wiped her face.  
  
Daisuke didn't say anything.  
  
"I'm happy. I'm happy, that's why I'm crying. . ." Hikary explained.  
  
"Are you really?" Daisuke asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hikary looked puzzled.  
  
"Are you really happy?" Daisuke asked again.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I have my family, my friends and I have you. It's what I've always wanted. To get married to someone I like."  
  
"What about the person you love?"  
  
Suddenly, Hikary found it hard to keep staring into Daisuke's eyes which seemed to hold all that she was afraid of facing. Daisuke sat down beside her. He gently reached out and raised her chin.  
  
"It's alright. I know you still love him so don't try to deny that. And don't try to cover it up by making yourself believe a lie. You don't have to. If you love him, then you'll be able to forgive him and keep on loving him. And I can see that your love is true, Hikary."  
  
Slowly, Hikary raised her eyes and found that Daisuke was smiling at her even though the smile was mingled with a bit of sadness and she wondered how Daisuke had changed so much. He wasn't the hothead that she used to know. Instead, before her was a young man who was expressing his love to her. And she wondered why she didn't notice it before, wondered why she could have hurt him by her own foolishness. But it was true, she had fallen in love with another and even though she loved Daisuke, it wasn't the same.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered over and over. Daisuke gently held her.  
  
  
  
"It's alright," He said again. "Maybe we were never meant to be together like that. But I don't think we would have been happy if we married anyway. I wouldn't have wanted you to stay in your room all day staring out the window. And now I know that being happy isn't having you as my wife but seeing you smile and laugh. That's what I truly want. If you're happy then in turn it makes me happy. Maybe that's why we were only meant to be best friends. . ."  
  
Daisuke didn't know what to say anymore. He couldn't even remember what he had just said. Then Hikary looked up. And Daisuke found joy enter his heart again for she was smiling. The first true smile that warmed Daisuke and he couldn't help but smile back.  
  
"Thank you." It was all Hikary said but Daisuke felt the emotion behind those words.  
  
***  
  
It was a few minutes later that Daisuke announced the change of events to the King and Taichi.  
  
"Are you sure this is what you wanted? You could have had her." Taichi said.  
  
"I could have couldn't I? But I don't think I want that anymore. I think I learned something much more important and it's strange, I don't feel jealous or regretful or what I did."  
  
"You are a very kind and brave man, Daisuke." The King replied.  
  
***  
  
Hikary had told Daisuke that she had to do something. And now, after changing into her normal clothing, she went outside. The rain was slacking and was only drizzling at the moment and the clouds were moving away from the sun.  
  
She hurried on toward her destination still with a small smile on her face. A feeling that she hadn't felt for what seemed like a long time was back again as she thought over what Daisuke had said.  
  
He was right, love wasn't something to throw away quickly. Love was a feeling that should be treasured and remembered because if you try to cover or deny it, then you'll be fighting a losing battle against your own desire.  
  
And that's all that matters.  
  
To forgive, to remember. . .and to love.  
  
And as Hikary crossed the gate between Heaven and Earth to the place that her heart bid her to go, she was filled with love.  
  
And as her feet touched the wet grass and as she breathed in the clear and refreshing air, she realized that she was happy.  
  
The lake lay before her eyes transparent and undisturbed.  
  
And as the rainbow appeared in the sky and as a young boy with blond hair and blue eyes turned to stare at her and as their eyes met, Hikary thought. . .  
  
Maybe there was something more.  
  
***To Be Continued. . .***  
  
AN: The sonnet at the beginning of the story is not mine. I found it in a book called 'Sonnets' by R.D. Laing. Any questions or suggestions are very welcome. Just put them in the reviews or send me an email and I'll answer them. 


	10. Chapter 9: United

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  Only the story is mine.

**A/N: **I'm very veeeeery sorry for the long delay.  I was a bit stuck but thanks to all the reviews, I've finally finished this chapter!!  Please read and review!  Hope you like it.

Chapter 9: United 

***

            Not for the first time, Yamato glanced in the direction of the setting sun.  He turned back just in time to see the blade aiming for his stomach and stepped aside nimbly.  The clash of metal against metal entered his ears from all around him as his opponent made another attempt.  The young man stifled an exasperated sigh before locking the other's blade with his own.  

            Concentration was key in swordplay.  The ability to detect your opponents' moves and the agility to avoid a fatal blow plus the skill from years of practice were all what good swordsman required.  And Yamato was an expert.  But his lack of concentration was a bad thing.  It wasn't his fault, however, that his opponent repeated the exact same moves over and over.  By now, he could probably avoid the other's attack with both eyes closed.  

            These were his father's new warriors-to-be and right now, Yamato was helping in training them.  The boy that he was fighting was a few years younger than Takeru and was not the best but Yamato smiled at his enthusiasm and courage.  Yes, this one would make a great swordsman if the moves were polished up a little and with a few years of practice he might become as good as Takeru.  _Takeru.  _A slight frown touched his handsome face as he glanced away at the sinking sun again.  

            Yamato was sure something had been bothering his brother that morning, although Takeru said nothing about it.  The young prince hadn't shown his face since and even though Yamato had a pretty good idea of where he might be, it didn't stop him from worrying.  _He should be home by now. . ._

            The rain had stopped unexpectedly after so many days and everyone was glad to be able to use the courtyard to practice for a change.  There was much more space than the crammed little room inside that smelt of sweat.  Wider area meant much more possibilities and more one on one combats.  

            It wasn't Yamato's job to train these young boys but today, he wanted to stretch out his muscles for a bit to keep in shape, just in case the king needed him to help out with the battle.  And it _was_ refreshing for a change.  

            As if on cue, Yamato saw one of his father's messengers heading toward him.  It didn't look like good news.  The man looked grim and tired and not much older than Yamato himself.  The young boy was still swinging his sword tirelessly and did not seem to know about the messenger.  Yamato didn't lower his sword.

            "Your Highness," The man bowed, straightening, he continued. "His Majesty wishes to see you."

            The man waited patiently for a reply as the two blades locked.

            "Please tell my father that I will be there as soon as I am done here."  Without looking at the man, Yamato replied, pushing against the boy's blade until they broke apart.  The swords clanked again.

            "I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but His Majesty wishes to see you now.  It is something very important."  

            With a final twist of his wrist, Yamato turned his sword in a way that would disarm the opponent.  A final loud clan was heard as the metal hit the ground.  The child blinked several times in surprise as he found the blade of a sword at his throat.  

            The match was over.  

            Yamato smiled, "You did well."  It was all he said. 

            The boy blushed.  He bowed low and thanked his prince.  Yamato picked up the fallen sword and handed both weapons to the boy.  Then he turned back to the man.

            "Please follow me."  He turned around and began walking toward the wooden gate, walking away from the sunset.  

            With one last look at the fading sun, Yamato followed.  

***

            The sunlight shone through between gaps of the leaves, casting pools of sunlight on the grass, alternating with the shades.  The birds sang.  Standing under such a pattern of light and shadow, Takeru blinked.  She was there, standing right before him.  

            Confusion swirled in his mind and words failed him.  He wasn't aware of the expression on his face and a mixed emotion of surprise, regret, pain, and gladness made it hard to breath.  

            "Hikary," he gasped hoarsely.  

            It was as if a spell had been broken.  Hikary stumbled back a step as if afraid, then she turned around fully and fled.  She didn't get far however.

            "Hikary, wait." With a speed he didn't know he possessed, Takeru was soon behind her, grabbed her wrist and felt it tense under his fingers.  "Don't go."

            Something in that tone of voice made her stop.  Her expression changed and she relaxed a bit, still with her back to him.  She hesitated.  Time froze around them.  She wanted to cry.  With the two choices lying before her, she knew this was the only chance she'll ever get.  

            "Don't go." It was softer this time.  His hand slipped down to her hand and finally dropped.  

            Hikary closed her eyes, knowing well that her next action might lead to her doom.  She turned around, risking everything for the boy with the shining eyes and gentle smile that she loved.  

***

            The room was dark.  No light passed through the closed curtains and the only fire burning in the grate was casting dim shadows around the objects.  It didn't provide any warmth.  

            It was here that the messenger lead Yamato.  He knocked three times on the painted wood.  There was a slight pause then a deep voice, muffled by the door, answered, "Come in."

            Yamato pushed and the door spun slowly open without a sound.  He took a step inside and a chill went through his body.  The door closed silently behind him.  Yamato didn't like the place.  The air was thick and heavy.  There was tension all around.  He had been here only once before and he had been terrified then.  

            The candles in the room weren't lit.  The fire was small and only illuminated a small area around it.  With his back to Yamato, standing in front of this fire was the king.  He took a few careful steps nearer, the footsteps on the marble echoed slightly.  

            "What is it, father?" Breaking the silence with his voice, Yamato suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.  

            "I need you and Takeru to go to Le'biath.  There seems to be some difficulty in the battle there."  It was a command.  "You leave tonight."

            Yamato thought for a moment.

            "Father, I haven't seen Takeru since this morning.  I don't think he is back yet." He couldn't see the frown that appeared on the king's face.

            "Is he on Earth?"

            "I do not know."

            There was a long pause, a very uncomfortable pause.  Then the king turned around, his face shrouded in shadow.  

            "You will leave tonight.  I will send people to search for Takeru.  Go get ready." 

            Yamato didn't dare protest anything.

***

            "Hikary didn't come back last night." Daisuke said worriedly.  

            "I'll go look for her if she doesn't come back in a few hours." Taichi said as he grabbed his cloak and fastened about his shoulders.  "Father is planning to move us to Gladatarius because it's getting too dangerous here." 

            "Gladatarius huh?  Well, before you know it, we'll have to move again." Daisuke sighed dejectedly.  "won't this war ever end?"

            Taichi shrugged.  "We do have an advantage in Le'biath though."

            "And losing everywhere else.  What's the use even if we do prevent them from taking Le'biath?"

            "Daisuke, don't ask negative questions.  Look on the bright side."

            "There isn't any, Taichi, and you know it.  If things don't change, it's only a matter of time before they have their victory feast."

            They fell silent as they imagined the fall of their home.  

            "Let's go look for Hikary.  She needs to be back where it's safer." Taichi said.

            "I'd say she's much safer on Earth." Daisuke answered.

***

            Takeru awoke with the sound of bird song.  He shifted slightly so that he could stretch out a few cramped muscles.  A gentle weight on his shoulder reminded him of the events from the previous night.  A smile touched his lips.  He twisted his head and looked upon the sleeping face of Hikary, leaning on his shoulder.  Raising a hand, he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.  Deciding to wait until Hikary woke by herself, Takeru leaned against the trunk of the tree there were in and replayed the events of the day before.

            After they realized that they had feelings for each other things got easier.  They exchanged stories and laughed and joked like they used to do as if nothing had happened.  But they both had a deeper understanding that could not be seen, only felt.  The stars were wonderful in the dark sky.  They climbed a huge tree and talked until they were too weary to keep their eyes open.  

            "Takeru," Hikary's sleep muddled voice sounded.

            "Good morning." Takeru smiled as Hikary sat up.

            She yawned.

            "It's a nice day today.  Too bad we can't stay here for too long."

            "Why?" Hikary ran a hand through her short hair, trying to get out the tangles.

            "Because I think we both need to go home.  Our families might be worried and we don't want them to find us here together, especially mine."

            "Yes, your right." Hikary looked a bit disappointed. 

            "Come on, I'll take you home."

            They left the tree and the lake and walked slowly toward the city.  

            "When do you think we can see each other again?"  Hikary asked.

            "Any time you can come, I'm usually here." Takeru smiled.

            "Really?"

            "Yeah."

            Something blue caught Takeru's eyes.  Walking among the people was the Kaizer with a few of his men.  In an instant, the boy realized that they were searching for him.   _Damn!  I had hoped they wouldn't send out a search party this soon.  _Pulling Hikary quickly into the shadow of a building, he waited until the blue-haired men was far enough.  

            "What's wrong?" Hikary asked from behind him.

            "I think my father sent troops to search for me.  I just saw a couple of them over there."  Takeru scanned the streets for signs of people he recognized but it seemed that no one saw him.  

            "We better move faster before _he_ find us."  He quickly took Hikary's hand and ran in the opposite direction from where the search party went.

            "He who?"

            "The Kaizer.  You can say that he's not one of my favourite person in the world."  Takeru grimaced.

            Suddenly his senses told him that something was headed for them.  The light flashed on a small something traveling through the air.  Using his body as a cover for Hikary, he jumped sideways, knocking the girl from harm's way.  

            A knife embedded into the sidewalk where he had been standing.  Pulling Hikary up quickly, he stood in front of her, looking around.  Passers-by stared at them.  Takeru ignored them, scowling fiercely.  

            Two shadows dropped to the ground simultaneously.  Takeru tensed and picked up the small knife on the ground, his only weapon.  The two figures straightened.

            "Taichi! Daisuke!" Hikary exclaimed.

            "You know them?" Takeru asked with some surprise.

            "Taichi is my brother and Daisuke is my friend."

            "That's right." Taichi answered, glaring at Takeru.  "I don't know who you are but get away from my sister."

            "Brother wait, this is Takeru." Hikary stepped forward.

            "Hmm, I see." Taichi said thoughtfully.  "Well, in that case. . ." He walked forward.

            Takeru got into a fighting position and readied the knife in his hand.  

            "It's alright, don't worry." Hikary smiled slightly.  The words made the young prince relax a little.  Taichi stopped a few paces away from the boy and stared into his eyes.  Takeru stared back.  It looked like he had to get the approval of this Taichi before this relationship could continue.  And he was determined to get it.  

            Taichi's face suddenly broke into a smile.  "I must say you made a good choice, Hikary.  Although it does make things complicated."

            "Huh?" Takeru blinked, not really knowing if this was a compliment.

            "Don't worry, we'll help you guys." Taichi winked, smiling slyly.  

            Then realizing that Hikary must have told her brother about him, Takeru blushed.  

            "We haven't been properly introduced.  Hi, my name is Taichi." He held out a hand.

            Takeru took it.  "My name is Takeru."

            Then Daisuke came forward.  

            "I'm Daisuke.  Take good care of Hikary.  If you make her sad, I'll never forgive you."  

            Takeru shook hands with Daisuke too and blushed again as he realized these two had already assumed they had confessed their feelings.

            "Look, we can't stay here too long.  My father sent out people to look for me and I just saw them back there." He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb.  

            "And wait till your father hears our report." 

            The Kaizer, with his troops of soldier, has arrived.  

            Instinctively Takeru pushed Hikary behind him as Taichi and Daisuke's hands went to their weapons.  

            "No, Taichi, Daisuke.  We can't win against them like this." 

            "Then take Hikary and go.  We'll keep them from fallowing you, for a while." Taichi yelled.

            "But. . ." 

            "Don't worry, Hikary.  We'll follow you soon.  You know where to go." Daisuke reassured her.

            "Be careful!" Hikary shouted and together with Takeru, they made their escape toward the mirror that lead to Heaven.

            "Are your brother and Daisuke good swordsmen?  I saw they had swords." Takeru asked.

            "Yeah, I think so.  I don't know much about swords though." Hikary answered.  "Why?"

            "Cause the Kaizer's soldiers are very strong."  They fell silent.

            Before long, they heard footsteps behind them.  They turned around and was relieved to see Daisuke and Taichi.  

            "I think we confused them but the guy with the blue hair is better than I thought.  He'll pick up our track again if we don't hurry." Taichi said.  Takeru had the impression that he was taking this way too lightly.  

            They arrived at the mirror with no sign of the Kaizer or his soldiers.  

            "Won't you come with us, Takeru?" Hikary asked.  

"Yeah, now that they saw you with us, they're sure to report it to your father" Taichi agreed.  "You're welcome to come, you know."

"Thanks but no." Takeru shook his head.

"Why?" Hikary asked.

"Because I chose this and I won't run away from my own choice again.  I've learned that much.  Running away won't do any good and besides my home is in Hell.  My friends, my father and Yamato, my brother are all there."

Taichi nodded in understanding.  "Let's go, Hikary."

Hikary gave Takeru a hug.  "Good luck." 

He stroked her soft cheeks and replied. "Don't worry we'll get through this.  And maybe someday, I'll be able to visit your home."

Hikary nodded.

Footsteps were heard again.  This time they were heavy.  

"Go!" Takeru pushed them toward the entrance to the mirror.  Then he turned around to face the approaching soldiers, taking out the knife again.

With one last look at the boy prince, Hikary, Taichi, and Daisuke walked through the mirror.  

A spear struck the wall a moment later, smashing the mirror to tiny pieces.  

Takeru stared in horror and in that moment, the Kaizer disarmed him and he found himself held by two soldiers.  Wondering if his three friends were alright, he was taken toward their own mirror.  

In the shadows, Yolie watched with an evil grin.  From her pocket, she took out the white feather and stroked it gently before letting it drop on the ground.  Yes, her father was a genius.  

***To Be Continued. . .***

Next chapter: A very interesting meeting between Taichi and Yamato and some more secrets revealed.  Takeru's in trouble. ^_~

                 


	11. Chapter 10: Feather, Wars, and Plans

**Disclaimer: **Digimon is not mine and I don¡¯t want to take it. I only need to borrow the characters for my very stubborn imagination. ^-^

**A/N: **I reuploaded this because the previous one had strange symbols and I couldn¡¯t fix them cause I uploaded at my friend¡¯s house since my computer had a few problems. They¡¯re fixed now. ^^

***

**Chapter 10: Feather, War, and Plans**

¡°How dare you!¡± The anger was apparent in the king¡¯s voice. His eyes flashed dangerously and his face was a bright crimson colour. His breathing was heavy as he looked down at his son. 

Takeru stood motionless, emotionless, in front of his father. His eyes stared into space as if he wasn¡¯t listening. This reaction apparently angered the king even more and a slap descended on the boy¡¯s cheek. His head whipped back fiercely. Takeru didn¡¯t even make a sound. Instead, he brought his head back slowly and fixed his father with an unwavering stare. 

¡°You have disgraced our family, Takeru! By been a traitor, you have shown your disloyalty! I would have sent you with Yamato but now, I think not. What do you have to say for yourself?¡± 

¡°I am _not_ sorry for what I¡¯ve done. I am sick of this war and your damn ambitions, father. I love Hikary, and nothing you say or do can change that!¡± 

If the boy had been sorry for what he had done, the king would then have been prepared to forgive his son with a light punishment but this outburst was unexpected.

¡°You will go to your room and stay there. I¡¯ll have guards posted and watching. YOU SHALL NOT COME OUT UNTIL YOU FEEL SORRY OR THIS WAR IS OVER!¡± The king grabbed the boy¡¯s wrists and roughly dragged Takeru from the room and out into the hallways. Takeru neither resisted nor said anything as his father pushed him into his own room and locked the door behind him. He could clearly hear the loud voice commanding two guards to watch his door. 

Takeru sighed, wincing slightly at the bruise he could feel forming on his face. Well, at least no one was going to see him in a while. His thoughts went back to what his father had told him. _So Yamato had gone to help with the war._ He thought. So for now, he was stuck.

He dropped on to his bed, back first, and stared at the ceiling. Everything depended on Yamato now. _Hopefully father won¡¯t find out that Yamato¡¯s on my side._

Then he remembered Hikary. The spear thrown by the Kaizer had shattered the mirror. Takeru wondered if the girl and her friends got home safely. He dearly hoped so. And still with that thought nagging at his mind, he fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

***

Taichi, Hikary, and Daisuke landed on the other side of the mirror without any harm but a spear did follow them through. Briefly they stared at it in confusion and finally concluded that the man whom Takeru called Kaizer had caught up with them. 

¡°Well, they can¡¯t follow us now since the mirror¡¯s shattered.¡± Daisuke said.

¡°Yes, but I hope Takeru¡¯s okay.¡± Hikary stared at the broken mirror.

They arrived at the palace and was greeted by the king himself. 

¡°Good you found her.¡± He said, looking relieved. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have some very bad news.¡±

¡°What is it father?¡±

¡°It seems that reinforcements had arrived in Le¡¯biath during the night, lead by their prince and so it is extremely dangerous for us to stay here. Hikary, go with the others to Gladatarius. Daisuke, go with her. Taichi, you come with me to Le¡¯biath.¡±¡¯

¡°Father, please go with Hikary and Daisuke.¡± Taichi protested. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡±

¡°No, I won¡¯t have that.¡± 

¡°But it¡¯s no good if you get hurt father. You¡¯ll become their prime target if you go.¡± 

¡°Then you¡¯re coming too, Taichi.¡±

¡°No, I have to go.¡± And seen that he¡¯s father was about to argue, he raised his hand. ¡°The reason is that the prince, Yamato, is the brother of Takeru. He helped Hikary escape. And also Takeru has told us that Yamato would help.¡±

The king considered this.

¡°Alright then, but make sure you get out of there if the situation gets bad.¡±

¡°I promise.¡±

He went to the stables and took the swiftest horse. In a few minutes, he was gone.

***

On Earth, a little girl skipped down the street, humming to herself. Suddenly something caught her eyes and she bent down to take a closer look. A gasp of wonder escaped her lips as her eyes widened. A single feather lay in the middle of the sidewalk. It was perfect in shape and shone with a strange glow. She had never seen a feather like this before. With small fingers, she picked it up, feeling the softness and silkiness. 

The light grew brighter and in shock, the girl gasped. Part of the light entered the girl¡¯s hands and she felt a strange tingling in her fingertips. She stood in surprise for a while. There was no fear, only a great amount of curiosity. She tucked the strange feather in her pocket and proceeded to continue her walk, not knowing the change that the feather brought over her.

***

¡°Father, a girl has picked up the feather.¡±

¡°Excellent. Now we just have to wait. This will be the downfall of that stupid girl and I shall have my revenge soon, very soon.¡± The Kaizer broke into mad laughter.

***

A few hundred miles away, a battle was reaching its peak. 

Yamato wiped the sweat off his face as a momentary break allowed him a peak around him. He shook his head in pity and sorrow. Bodies lay around the field, soaking the grass in blood red. These were mainly from their enemies but Yamato couldn¡¯t forget the fact that they lost their lives protecting what they loved. 

He was sick of it, all of it. Someone charged at him with a sword raised high above his head. Yamato took one look at the man and saw that his eyes were still filled with hope. He didn¡¯t have the heart to kill anymore. Stepping aside, he retreated toward his camp, leaving the battle to his father¡¯s soldiers. Not that they needed help from him now. Victory was already at hand, there was no need for him to fight. 

Inside his tent, Yamato sighed, putting a hand on the wooden table. Taking off the helmet he shook out his sweaty hair, placing the metal object on the table. He still held the naked sword in his hand. Clean, not stained. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill anyone. The weapon he held had only been an hateful accessory to him during the times he fought. A frown appeared on his perfect features as he stared at the blade, the symbol of war. Sounds of shouting and screams and clashing metals were dimly audible in the background, muffled by the thin wall of the material of the tent. 

Suddenly, the elder prince pushed the sword into his sheath angrily. Anger at his father ripped a frustrated cry from his throat. Did his father think that this could come to anything? He closed his eyes, listening. No, at this rate everything _will_ fall. Not just Heaven but Hell as well. They will fall into the hands of the Kaizer. Only if the king realized that. But he didn¡¯t and Yamato didn¡¯t know how to make him see that. 

And where was Takeru? Haven¡¯t they found him yet? It wasn¡¯t helping that he was itching to know if his little brother was alright. With another sigh, he dropped into a seat and rested his head on his arm. 

¡°Your Highness!¡±

Yamato didn¡¯t look up as he heard someone searching for him outside. He wondered at the sudden panic he heard in the voice but it wasn¡¯t enough to get him to move from his place. 

¡°Your Highness!¡± It came nearer.

¡°Your Highness!¡± The voice burst through the open flaps of the tent. Heavy breathing followed. Yamato refused to look up. ¡°Your Highness?¡±

¡°Your Highness!¡± There was a pause, then, ¡°Your Highness!¡±

The sudden movement from Yamato caused the young man to jump backward. 

¡°WHAT?¡± 

The man tripped and fell, shaking all over. He opened his mouth but no sound came.

Yamato glared. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Don¡¯t you have something to say?¡± The man only nodded, eyes wide.

¡°Well? Aren¡¯t you going to say it?¡± Impatient, Yamato walked toward him. The man only cowered. 

With a low growl, the prince bent down and grabbed the unfortunate by the collar and hoisted him up to his feet. The man gasped and finally stammered out. ¡°P-please sir, new troops has arrived, we need your help, sir.¡±

Yamato let go of the man. ¡°How many?¡± 

¡°I-I don¡¯t know. They just told me to get you sir.¡±

¡°Well, next time don¡¯t take so long to report!¡± With a final glare, Yamato left, not bothering to pick up his helmet. 

***

Taichi winced at the view that greeted him. The remaining soldiers saluted him. Their hope renewed. Taichi unsheathed his sword and plunged in immediately. His goal was not to kill but to find Takeru¡¯s brother. Things were very bad and he knew that this could be the only chance to figure something out, if Yamato was willing to help. Slashing, left and right, he slowly made his way deep into the battle, keeping an eye out for any sign of a teenager.

Not long after, he spotted a youth walking toward the battle from what appeared to be a camp. He narrowed his eyes and fought his way closer. Suddenly, he caught the other¡¯s eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then it was as if a silent message passed between them. Soon Yamato was also fighting his way toward Taichi.

Their swords finally clashed together. 

¡°Yagami Taichi,¡±

¡°Ishida Yamato,¡± 

The two boys grinned at each other. 

¡°Your brother and my sister said you might be able to help us.¡± Taichi explained.

Yamato frowned. ¡°My brother? You mean you¡¯ve seen Takeru?¡±

A little taken aback, Taichi explained.

Yamato paled, ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know what happened after that but is he okay?¡± Taichi asked with concern.

¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yamato shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve been here since last night. Takeru was supposed to join me but I think our father probably changed his mind. I¡¯m worried.¡±

¡°Listen, if you see Takeru when you get back, tell him that we¡¯re really sorry we got him into this trouble. And tell him that Hikary won¡¯t be able to see him in a while.¡±

¡°Why?¡± Yamato asked.

A sigh escaped from Taichi¡¯s lips and he sobered. ¡°If we can¡¯t save here, we¡¯ll be moved to Gladatarius. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

The two boys fell silent but they never stopped their swords just incase someone heard them talking. 

¡°This is all because of that Kaizer!¡± Yamato suddenly burst out angrily. 

¡°Can you find a way to tell your father that?¡± 

¡°Believe me, I¡¯ve been trying.¡± 

They fell silent again.

¡°Look, I probably need to call a retreat now, is there no way for you to convince your father?¡± Taichi asked.

¡°I¡¯ll try my best. We should meet again. Tonight, is that okay?¡±

¡°Where?¡± 

¡°the mirrors.¡± Yamato said.

¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be there. Good luck.¡± And Taichi left.

¡°Yeah, luck, that¡¯s what we need.¡± Yamato whispered as he watched Taichi called a retreat. He didn¡¯t order his soldiers to follow.

***

A loud explosion blew away everything and everyone living in the apartment building. The only survivor was a girl. She sat on the ground, facing the ruin. Her big round eyes held shock. Slowly, she raised her hands and looked at them. 

¡°Oneechan? Okaasan? Otousan?¡± She whispered. Then without realizing what she was doing, she jumped up and ran, screaming at the top of her lungs. It would be a few hours before anyone found her. The feather that she picked up that morning lay forgotten on the road, just as beautiful, just as white.

***

An earthquake shook both Heaven and Hell and everyone felt it. They also felt something else. A great release of energy and power. No one knew what it was except the Kaizer. 

¡°It is done!¡± A maniacal grin showed in the dim light.

***

¡°Father! What was that?¡± Taichi asked, as he returned.

¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve sent people out but it¡¯s not something good. There haven¡¯t been such a release of power since. . .a long time ago.¡± With that he left, lost in thought.

A few hours later, a report arrived. The king stared at the single white feather that was laid on his table as he half listened to the explanations. 

¡°No, it can¡¯t be. It just can¡¯t be!¡± 

***TBC***

Guess what? It¡¯s almost over! In like two or three more chapters! I _finally _got everything figured out!! And yes I know this is shorter than the last but I¡¯ll write more. So please review. I won¡¯t be able to write without reviews! Please! Pretty, pretty please! Give me some motivations, ne? ^-^I need a lot of those to get the next chapter up soon. Or else I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s gonna take. So review! *^-^*


	12. Chapter 11: A Hidden Past

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine. I'm only a poor author who likes to borrow the characters

A/N: In one of the early chapters I wrote about how Yolie got the feather. I don't remember which chapter and I don't remembers the names of my characters because I haven't used them in these later chapters. If I got them wrong, please tell me. (What kind of author am I not remembering my own characters?)

Hmm, these last two chapters seemed to have disappeared but now it's fixed thanks for notifying me! I must say, after reading some of these chapters, I had to laugh at my own writing but I do appreciate that people are still reading them. Hehe.

Chapter 11: A Hidden Past

The first thing Yamato did was to visit his brother. Takeru had been bored out of his mind by the look on his face. Yamato told of his meeting with Taichi and the plan that night.

"We need to find out what the Kaizer's plans are. And we don't have much time left. More than half of Heaven had already fallen." The frown on Yamato's face showed that he was thinking deeply.

"I know, but where do we start? We don't know anything about the Kaizer and I doubt father would believe us if we told him that _he's_ planning something. I can't get out of here so it's kind of impossible for me to try anything." Takeru was annoyed at the fact that he was helpless to do anything to help.

"Don't worry, little brother, I'll find something, hopefully. But is there anything you want? You seem bored." Yamato ruffled his younger brother's hair playfully, earning a glare.

"Books, can you get me some books? I've been dying to read something and besides I might get some ideas from them."

Yamato smiled. "I'll get them. Anything particular you would like?"

"No, anything's fine." Takeru answered.

It was when Yamato was in the library and looking through the rows and rows of books in a particular corner, which he knew Takeru still hadn't been that he felt it. The Earthquake. The first sudden shake almost swept him off his feet but he managed to land on a sofa not far behind him. The powerful surge of energy he felt from the first shake almost stunned him. Only when a falling book hit his head, did he finally realize his danger of been buried by the hundreds of books. So lying flat on the couch, with his arms above his head, he waited for the shaking to stop.

When it finally did, Yamato lay under the layers of books, panting. He slowly raised himself from the pile, wincing at the several bruises he got on his arms from a few of the heavier ones. Almost all the books had come down and were now strewn around the room in untidy heaps. He pitied whoever that would be ordered to clean this place. Bending down, he searched through the piles and picked out a few books that looked interesting for Takeru. As he picked up a third book, he found something quite interesting in the pile.

It was smaller than the other books and not as thick. The cover was black with gold letters written on top. _'To Erica from your friend, Osamu'_. These simple words surprised Yamato very much for Erica was her mother's first name. And he would have read what was written inside if not for the lock holding it firmly shut. The key, unfortunately, did not come with this piece of unexpected discovery. Having a strange sense that this diary (it seemed a diary to him) might solve some of the problems in this war, he forgot the other books and only took this one back to his waiting brother.

Takeru's room didn't look any better than the library had. Yamato sat down beside Takeru on his bed, since there weren't any other place to sit, and held out what he had found.

"The problem is how to open this." Yamato stared at the little black book as if he could will it to open. Takeru thought for a moment. He reached up and grabbed the silver chain hanging around his neck and pulled out the object, hidden in the folds of his clothing. There was a tiny silver key hanging at the end.

"You told me that mother gave this to me when I was born. If this is the key for the diary then there is something in there that she wanted to keep hidden." Takeru said.

"And something that she wanted you to find out." Yamato added. He suddenly remembered again the words of their mother. '_Yamato, you must always take care of your brother. Promise me you're protect him Yamato, promise me__,'_

Takeru pushed the key into the lock and gave it a turn. There was a click and the book lay open before them. The two princes looked at each other before nodding. Taking the book they flipped to the first page. It was dated 17 years ago when their mother was still a teenager. And this was the story that was both sweet and tragic at the same time.

_My name is Erica (from Earth). I just had my 17th birthday and my dear friend Osamu gave this diary to me as a present. We had a wonderful party with all of my other friends. Hiroshi, Kurokami, Osamu, Ken, and Lina. You see, since this diary will contain so much about my friends, I think I should explain how I met them and why they're so dear to me. _

_ I didn't have any friends before you see and I tried to avoid people as much as I could because no one wanted to talk with me anyway. I liked to go to the lake near my house near all those cherry blossoms. It's very peaceful there and I could be alone and think. Well, one day I was heading there as usual when I heard voices. It kind of surprised me since I don't know that many people to go there so I hid behind some bushes. _

_ That was the first time I saw them. They were laughing and talking and seemed to have so much fun. I didn't recognize them and there was something different about them so I just sat there and watched. They talked about stuff that surprised me and at first I thought they were playing a game or something. Their conversation consisted of Kings and Queens and angels. They talked about Heaven and Hell like their home. Soon they started to play a game of tag and I was so into watching them that I hadn't realized that one of them was heading for my bush. He ran into me and we fell together. _

_ I was alarmed and scared and thought that they would be mad to find out I was spying on them. But they didn't shout or yell or seemed angry at all. They looked curious and asked me if I wanted to join them. _

_ That was the beginning of our wonderful friendship and I soon they trusted me enough to tell me their secrets._

_ Hiroshi is a prince of Heaven, Kurokami is a prince of Hell, Osamu is the son of Kurokami's father's best friend and therefore Osamu and Kurokami grew up together, Ken is Osamu's, younger brother, and finally Lina comes from Heaven too and she and Hiroshi are in love with each other although they won't admit it. . . _

(There were many pages of descriptions of the things they did after this that Takeru and Yamato skimmed through).

_. . .Both Kurokami and Hiroshi had been crowned Kings of their own kingdom! I'm happy for them!. . ._

_. . .Kurokami asked me to go out with him today. I can't believe it! It's like a dream coming true. I've liked him ever since he crashed into me that first day. And tonight's our first date. I feel nervous now. . ._

_. . .It's my fault! All this is my fault. If I didn't say we should try climbing that mountain none of this would have happened! And why didn't I watch where I was going? If I had, I wouldn't have slipped and Osamu wouldn't have to save me. It's forbidden for any of them to show their wings on Earth but Osamu did and saved me from falling off that cliff. If any human touched even a feather, something disastrous would happen. I hope nothing happens or else I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. . ._

_. . .Today Kurokami told me what happened. Something did happen and caused that big Earthquake last night. Someone did find a feather. And there was an explosion. Osamu is dead. Kurokami told me that the penalty for leaving a feather on Earth is death. The explosion had been Osamu's death sentence. There is a magic binding the people of Heaven and Hell to this law. It will kill whoever that broke this law. . . Osamu, I'm so sorry. . . Kurokami gave me a letter that Osamu wrote. I've already read it three times. He told me he loved me in his letter but since he knew my love for Kurokami, he didn't want to tell me. He told me not to grieve for him because he chose it himself. How can I not grieve for him? It is my own fault. Osamu, I'm so sorry. . ._

_. . .Ken had become so quiet since Osamu's death. I can't blame him, I would have too if not for Kurokami. He listened to me when I told him everything and he comforted me. But I can't help but feel guilty still. . ._

(The two boys skipped the many pages of lament and grieve that their mother had for the lose of a friend)

_. . .We decided to have a double marriage. Lina and Hiroshi and me and Kurokami. I'm going to live with Kurokami in his palace now although I don't think I'm ready to become the queen yet. I'm already pregnant though and I'll be a mother in a few months. If it's a girl then we've decided to name her Nozomi and if it is a boy then he shall be named Yamato, Osamu's middle name. I wish you were here Osamu, I miss you, we all miss you. . ._

_ . . . My second baby is born and so has Lina's. Mine is a boy and I've called him Takeru. Yamato is very excited to have a brother and visits him whenever he can. Taichi is doing the same to Hikary, his baby sister. We've decided to make a contract to combine our kingdoms. We've betrothed Takeru and Hikary and signed it with all our names. . ._

_ . . .I found out something horrible today and I must write all this down in here because I'm the only one to know this. I fear that if I don't I'll never be able to tell what I have found. Ken is planning something. I overheard him today. He plans to have a war between Heaven and Hell. He blames us for the death of his brother especially me and he also talked about revenge and such things. His plan is to have me killed and blame it on Hiroshi. Kurokami trusts Ken and probably will believe him and since Kurokami and Hiroshi are in a fight, it'll be more than easy to convince him. And now that he is on a trip and won't be back for another week, I fear Ken will start his plans soon. If anything happens to me, I will hide this diary so Ken will not get his hands on it. The contract of Takeru and Hikary's marriage is also in here. It is the only hope right now to bring the two kingdoms together if Ken's plans were set in motion. Please let someone find this diary before it's too late. I will give this key to Takeru since he loves to read and I've decided to hide this in the library. May he find it someday. _

The two princes sat in silence after they finished reading these words. They sat digesting the information written down by their mother who, they now found out, had been murdered by her once dear friend, Ken or also know as the Kaizer now. The contrat was there, attached to the last page.

"I'm going to tell father about this." Yamato said and stood up.

"I'll go with you."

The guards outside Takeru's room had gone somewhere since the big quake and the two princes went in search for their father.

Tacichi returned to the palace to tell his father of the meeting he arranged with Yamato. The place was already half empty for most people had already left including his sister and Daisuke. He found his father in his room sitting in front of a desk with the single feather. With one look at the king, Taichi knew that something was terribly wrong.

"What's wrong father?" He asked gently.

The King raised his head and looked at his son with hopelessness in his eyes.

"What wrong?" Taichi asked more urgently. He glanced at the feather again and then remembered the huge quake. His eyes widened in fear. "No, not that. . ."

"This feather was found on Earth after that explosion. The girl that took the feather had let the power out accidentally when she was having a fight with her brother. We found the girl, almost half mad, running around the streets. She clearly didn't know what was going on and she had to be put to death. The power she had gotten from the feather will be too much for her to control." Here the king paused while Taichi stood motionless. "The house where she lived had been completely blown apart and so are the few that was around it."

Taichi knew what this meant. He knew the strict rule that their feathers weren't allowed to be left on Earth. And he also knew that the penalty was death. The only thing he didn't know was who the feather belonged to. And it was with difficulty that he finally got the question out.

"Father? Who-who does the feather belong to?"

There was a long silence and then the king whispered a name that Taichi could barely hear.

"Hikary"

"eh? B-but that's not possible father! She never even showed her wings when we were on Earth. I'm sure she didn't!"

"Even if that's true, you know about the magic. She only have two hours left, Taichi."

"Father, isn't there anyway to reverse the magic?" He didn't want to lose his sister. Not now. He could hear his own desperate voice and feel the lump rising in his throat. The despair he felt was reflected on his father's face.

The King shook his head.

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"I wish we could, Taichi, I wish we could."

All his hope disappeared with those words. His shoulders sagged as he stood. His fists clenched tightly, digging into his palms. Tears of helplessness clouded his vision.

"Let's go to her, Taichi. It's the only thing we can do. Let us be together until the end." The King said and shakily stood up.

Taichi looked up at his father.

"Oh father," And then he ran and buried his face in the king's shoulder as he cried like a lost little child. The king hugged him tightly but Taichi felt no comfort.

Takeru and Yamato stood silently as they waited for their father to finish reading the diary. They were lucky to find his father in the throne room talking with some guards. At first Kurokami had been angry to see Takeru out of his room until Yamto explained their purpose. Then their astonished father quickly dismissed his guards and with shaking hands took the diary from his son's hands.

A loud bang startled the two princes as they turned to look at their father. The King had apparently slammed his hands onto the table and had shot up from his chair, which was lying on the floor. The anger was apparent in his eyes although this time they were not aimed at Takeru. He stood, shaking and still staring at the last page of the diary. Yamato and Takeru kept silent, waiting for their father to cool down a bit.

The King muttered a few curses under his breath and then turned and stared at his son. Then his anger was replaced by sadness as he realized that his sons had been right all alone. He knew that Yamato and Takeru didn't like the war but he didn't take time to notice anything other than his own revenge which he realized had been false.

He went over to his two sons and hugged each in turn.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's alright father, everything will be alright after we get the Kaizer. It's still not too late." Yamato said.

"And I'm sure King Hiroshi will forgive you." Takeru added.

Then King Kurokami remembered his son's love for the Princess Hikary.

"You must tell me about what you did on Earth with Princess Hikary. I realize I haven't taken the time to talk with either of you for a very long time."

Takeru and Yamato both smiled at their father.

"But let's go got the Kaizer first." Yamato suggested.

They left the room. Takeru felt relieve flow through him. The Kaizer will finally be caught and they can have peace again. He was glad that everything had turned out before it was too late just like his mother had hoped, but he could not help feeling an uneasiness. He couldn't explain it but a premonition kept him from feeling happy, a very bad premonition.

To be continued. . .

Well what do you think? One more chapter to go! And please PLEASE review! I thrive on reviews . Until next time!


	13. Chapter 12: Suki

**Disclaimer:** Digimon is not mine. I am merely a poor author who borrows these wonderful characters.

**A/N: **The time has come. This is the final chapter of my first Takari. I would like to say a big thank you for all of you that's read my story. I love you all! gives readers a big hug. And thanx so much for reviewing.

**Chapter 12: Suki**

The door to the laboratory of the Kaizer burst open as ten guards holding spears marched in followed closely by King Kurokami, Yamato, and Takeru. They quickly formed a circle around the only person in the room and pointed the sharpened point of their metal weapons at the culprit. The brief look of surprise was soon replaced by a look of amusement as the Kaizer stood facing the King. There was an obvious smirk on his face that intensified the uneasiness inside Takeru.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Kurokami scowled at the taunting tone of the unfazed Kaizer. The mad glint never left his face and he seemed too relaxed. The guards fidgeted uncomfortably.

"We know your plans." Yamato said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, do you now?" The Kaizer's eyes never left the King's face as he answered. "That certainly took you a long time."

"Why you. . ." Yamato would have jumped forward if not for the firm hand of the King on his shoulder.

"Why Ken, why? We were such good friends." Kurokami asked.

"Friends? I don't believe in friendship anymore. Not after what happened to my brother."

"But that was an accident!" Takeru said.

The Kaizer turned his cold hard eyes toward the younger boy this time.

"Yes, that was an unfortunate accident wasn't it? And my brother lost his life saving that ungrateful woman! If only it was she who died that day!"

"What did my mother ever do?" Takeru was shaking in rage. How dare he talk about their mother that way.

"She was the reason that took away my brother. He loved her! And she ignored all of that!"

"That's not true Ken." Kurokami cut in. "She was always talking about your brother. She did love him, Ken, she did care about him."

"But not as much as he loved her. I hated her and I hated all of you. That's why I became your advisor, so that I can vent my revenge on all of you." The maniacal grin was on his face again. "I must admit I wasn't expecting to be discovered this early since the final part of my plan has not been completed."

Everyone tensed at that as the guards tightened their weapons in their hands. No one noticed the Kaizer reaching in the folds of his clothing.

"You see, I wanted you all to feel the pain I've gone through. I wanted to experience what it would be like to loose someone special. That's why when I found out that Prince Takeru was seeing Hiroshi's daughter on Earth, I thought we could use the prince to capture her and then kill her. But the Prince there decided to ruin everything." He looked at Takeru again.

"But you didn't realize you left something in your room that made things so much better and easier for me did you?"

"What have you done?" Takeru asked. He was beginning to feel that something was definitely wrong.

The Kaizer grinned. "A feather. You didn't notice a feather was left behind when you dyed your princess' wings and my daughter, yes, my sweet daughter got it for me."

Everything was clicking into place inside Takeru's head. The explosion, that was Hikary's feather! He stared in horror at the Kaizer.

"No, you didn't. . ." He stammered.

"Believe me I did. And according to my calculations she only has one more hour to live."

"Ken, you bastard. She is just an innocent girl!" Kurokami cried out.

"Then maybe you should blame yourselves for that. But as I said, I'm not quite finished." And then quick as lightning, he whipped his hands out of his cloak and produced a sharp looking knife which he threw at Takeru. The guards had no choice but to use their spears. But the knife had already left the Kaizer's hand.

Takeru's reflexes and quick reaction was the only thing that made the knife miss it's mark totally. But a sharp pain in his arm told him that the knife had grazed the skin there.

And that was enough for the Kaizer.

"Takeru!" Yamato instantly knelt down by his brother and helped him up.

"And now it is done." And the Kaizer burst out laughing as he sank to the ground, bleeding from the multiple wounds from the spears.

Takeru felt lightheaded as Yamato helped him stand.

"What's wrong, Takeru?" Yamato asked as he felt his brother sway.

"dizzy." Takeru murmured.

A light chuckle followed by laughter. "There was deadly poison on that knife. He probably doesn't that long either." And then the Kaizer gave a last chuckle before falling to the ground, dead.

Everyone gasped.

"No. . ." Kurokami said.

"Hikary. . ." Takeru could feel his brother holding him but he tried to get away. He had to get to Hikary!

"Takeru! You can't help her now, we need to get an antidote for you."

"No. . .I. . .I need to. . .get to Hikary!" And with that, he twisted out of his brother's arms and instantly stumbled out of the door.

He could hear his brother calling for him and hear the footsteps behind. The dizziness was worse now and the pain in his arm had already made it numb. His breath came more quickly and he felt like throwing up. But he pushed on. Takeru didn't know how fast he was going and he would have been surprised at his speed if he had been aware for Yamato had found it hard to follow him.

As he finally reached outside, he spread his wings and took off in the direction of Heaven.

Hikary fell silent as she listened to her father and brother's explanations.

"You mean, I'm going to. . .die?" Her voice was a quiet whisper. Taichi averted his eyes, unable to see his sister's pale unbelieving face. Hikary was about to say something else when her vision suddenly blurred and she swayed on the spot. Raising a hand to temple, she shook her head to try to clear the swimming images.

"Hikary!" King Hiroshi caught his daughter right before she fell. Holding her in his arms, he called out worriedly.

"Father, I think I'm. . ." Her voice was barely above a whisper and Hiroshi tightened his hold as if trying to keep her from disappearing.

"I'm sorry Hikary." The King said brokenly and was unable to hold back his tears any longer.

They carried her to her room where they found Daisuke who, after hearing their story, let his anger out by punching at the wall.

"Damn that Kaizer!" He hollered.

There was a sudden commotion outside the room.

"Let me go! I need to see her!"

"Help me hold him down. This one's from Hell!"

"What should we do with him?"

"Take him to the King."

"Let. . .go. . . Hikary. . .HIKARY!"

And then the door burst open and Takeru was standing there, breathing heavily and looking worn out. Before he could take another step toward the princess lying in the bed, guards jumped on him, trying to pull him out.

"Stop." Taichi commanded. "Let him go."

"But Your Highness, this one is. . ."

"I know who he is, just let him go." Taichi said impatiently.

Wish a bewildered look the guards released the boy and backed out of the room with a bow.

"Takeru. . ." Hikary whispered and reached out a shaking hand.

Takeru stumbled toward the bed, leaving a trail of blood from where the poisonous knife had wounded him. He fell down beside the bed and knelt there, catching Hikary's hand in his.

"gomen. . . I guess this is goodbye." Hikary said trying to smile.

"No I'll go with you." Takeru chuckled. "The Kaizer was kind enough to make sure of that. I guess I should thank him for it."

"What do you mean?"

Takeru showed them his arm and explained.

"He's dead now, everything will be alright. The war is over."

No one felt like smiling at this good news.

"King Hiroshi, please forgive my father for what he has done." Takeru said.

"Of course. I just wish things didn't turn out this way. I am so sorry."

"Father, don't cry, it is not your fault."

Another wave of dizziness hit Takeru and Hikary as their body shimmered.

"This is it. Promise me one thing Hikary."

"What is it?"

"Promise me we'll see each other again and create a better ending than this." Takeru held out his pinky which Hikary took willingly.

"I promise." Hikary answered. "Will. . .will you hold me?" She asked shyly.

Takeru smiled. He pulled Hikary up and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"It's warm." Hikary said, closing her eyes as their bodies began to fade. "Oh, Takeru, I forgot to tell you something."

She raised her eyes to meet the boy's green ones. "Daisukidayo."

Surprise and joy showed themselves on the boy's face. To hear the one he loved most speak in his favourite language, his mother's language, brought a happiness. Tears shone in his eyes as he smiled and said, "arigatou."

He leaned forward and gave Hikary a warm kiss full of passion and promise.

_We will meet again._

They stayed like that, in each other's arms, until both faded away quietly. The only things left were two feathers, one dark, one white, lying on top of each other.

Epilogue

"Where are you going today?"

"To the lake!" A young girl shouted back at her brother. "It's such a nice day!"

The boy sighed and shook his head exasperatedly at his ten-year-old younger sister. "But you're always going there."

"I like it there! It's special!" She crossed her arms in front and pretended to be offended.

The boy laughed. He ruffled his sister's short brown hair. "Have fun."

"Bye!" The girl sped through the door.

"Come on hurry up! We're going to be late."

"Wait! I don't wanna play baseball today, brother." A young boy, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a baseball bat said.

"Why not?" The other boy turned a puzzled look on his younger brother.

"I have to go there." He pointed in the direction where a bunch of cherry trees could be seen and then beyond that was a lake, glinting in the morning sun.

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't know." The boy shrugged. "I just felt like it."

The older boy sighed. "Well, ok. But make sure you come back home by 4:00pm."

And before he could say anything else, the other boy was gone.

With a feeling of anticipation and great excitement, the boy ran toward the lake. It almost seemed like his legs were drawn there. He didn't know why but he knew something would be there.

He stopped as the lake spread before him. Looking around he saw that he was at a clearing surrounded by trees. He walked toward the lake. And as he got closer, he saw a willow tree bending over the lake. The site was beautiful and as the branches swayed, they revealed a girl sitting with her head resting on her knees, staring out at the water with a smile playing around her lips and laughter in her eyes.

The boy walked closer. It felt familiar, this place, and the girl. . .

Before he could say anything, the girl seemed to sense his presence and turned around to look at him.

"Hi." She said and smiling.

"Hi." He answered.

"Come up, it's quite nice up here." She offered.

Without hesitating, he climbed on to the branch that the girl was sitting on. What he saw came as a surprise and yet not a surprise. It was beautiful, he could see the lake growing into the distance and meeting the blue sky. The water sparkled and danced. It stirred a memory although it disappeared in a second. It was the memory of a pair of smiling brown eyes and a clear bell-like voice.

"My name is Hikary, what's yours?" The girl asked.

"Takeru, it's Takeru." And as he answered, he noticed that her eyes were brown. "Hikary. . .I like that name."

He smiled.

end

Wow it's done! It's finally done! And in my opinion this chapter sucked, but I did like the epilogue. And thank you again for all of your wonderful wonderful reviews and great encouragements. And therefore I would like to say these words. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH! Hope to see you again!


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